FIFA announces Lumen Field as Club World Cup 2025 venue

28 Sep 2024, 16:28 by Jayda Evans · The Seattle Times

Lumen Field is part of 12 venues in 11 U.S. cities chosen to host the Club World Cup slated for June 15 through July 13, 2025. FIFA president Gianni Infantino joined actor Hugh Jackman, broadcast journalist Gayle King and Global Citizen co-founder and CEO Hugh Evans to make the announcement Saturday at the Global Citizen Festival in New York City’s Central Park.

DJ Khaled warmed up the rain-soaked crowd and brought the group out on stage. During the announcement, FIFA added it signed a four-year partnership with Global Citizen, which includes the international education and advocacy organization cultivating the halftime show for the 2026 World Cup final to be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The Sounders announced Saturday night that all three of their group-stage matches will be played at Lumen Field.

Next year’s Club World Cup is an expanded version of the tournament that featured the Sounders in February 2023. The new format mirrors the quadrennial World Cup.

The top 31 clubs from FIFA’s six regions plus one host team will be divided into eight groups where the top two will advance to the knockout rounds. The final will be July 13 at MetLife Stadium.

The draw will be held in December, which is also the time period when the match schedule will be released. The other venues announced Saturday are Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta), Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte), TQL Stadium (Cincinnati), Rose Bowl Stadium (Los Angeles), Hard Rock Stadium (Miami), GEODIS Park (Nashville), Camping World Stadium (Orlando), Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando), Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia) and Audi Field (Washington, D.C.).

The Sounders qualified by winning the CONCACAF Champions League (now Champions Cup) title in 2022. They were the first MLS team to represent the league in the 2022 Club World Cup, also earned with the CCL win.

Then, a seven-team, single elimination event was held in Morocco, the Sounders lost to Egypt’s Al Ahly at Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier. Spain’s Real Madrid won the title.

“Hosting the FIFA Club World Cup at Lumen Field is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our fans and our organization,” Sounders majority owner Adrian Hanauer said in a news release. “Never before have we faced the world’s top club sides in expanded competitive play, and the fact that the first edition of this new tournament is being played in our country and our city is historic.”

FIFA had a glitzy logo reveal earlier this month and Saturday’s announcement was well received, but there are reported issues with the tournament’s new vision. The biggest domestically is it will run concurrently with CONCACAF’s Gold Cup, which will call-up multiple international players from their club teams.

There are also speculations players — especially the stars in Europe — could strike because of growing schedule congestion. English side Manchester City, the defending Club World Cup winner, could play 80 matches next year, should they reach the final of domestic, regional and global tournaments, in addition to league matches, according to calculations by Goal, a soccer website.

FIFA also hasn’t secured a TV rights deal or sponsorships beyond Global Citizen. Multiple reports state Infantino is seeking $48 billion for the broadcasting rights and $100 million per sponsor. The figures eclipse what’s asked domestically of partners for the NFL and NBA.

Two slots remain for the 2025 Club World Cup field — the 2024 CONMEBOL Libertadores winner and a to be named MLS team. Here are the 30 qualified teams (Club/Country/How qualified):

Boca Juniors (ARG) — CONMEBOL ranking pathway

Al Ahly (EGY) — 2020/21, 2022/23 and 2023/24 CAF Champions League

Wydad (MAR) — 2021/22 CAF Champions League

ES Tunis (TUN) — CAF ranking pathway

Mamelodi Sundowns (RSA) — CAF ranking pathway

Al Hilal (KSA) — 2021 AFC Champions League

Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) — 2022 AFC Champions League

Al Ain (UAE) — 2023/24 AFC Champions League

Ulsan HD FC (KOR) — AFC ranking pathway

Chelsea (ENG) — 2020/21 UEFA Champions League

Real Madrid (ESP) — 2021/22 and 2023/24 UEFA Champions League

Manchester City (ENG) — 2022/23 UEFA Champions League