Philly’s Linc becomes one of 12 U.S. venues for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

Philly football fans have been treated to some of the sport’s top showcases over the past few years. The League was mostly competitive (let’s not say much about this season) and had international attractions. Liverpool, Chelsea, Germany, Argentina And Wrexham We came here for exhibition matches.

On Saturday evening at the Global Citizen Festival in New York, football’s international governing body FIFA announced that the Linc will host more football next year as one of 12 venues in the United States for the 2025 Club World Cup.

“We are thrilled that Philadelphia and Lincoln Financial Field have been selected as one of the host cities/venue for the opening ceremony of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup,” Eagles President Don Smolenski said in an emailed statement. “This will be another opportunity to showcase Lincoln Financial Field on an international stage as we continue our preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”

The tournament to determine the world’s best club team will be the first edition of the new tournament format, which moves from annual to quadrennial and greatly increases the number of teams from the seven teams in the previous edition.

It replaces the now-defunct Confederations Cup as the warm-up competition for the 2026 World Cup. Philly will host five group games and one round of 16 match on July 4as part of an expanded, three-continental tournament.

Philly’s local organizing committee for the World Cup is not involved in club competition in 2025, according to host city manager and Philadelphia Soccer 2026 CEO Meg Kane. Meg Kane said in an emailed statement that the group was pleased with Philly’s selection, and the selection reaffirms FIFA’s belief in the city’s “capacity to deliver an exceptional tournament and fan experience” for 2026’s big event.

“Although Philadelphia Soccer 2026 is not involved in the operational planning of the 2025 tournament, we celebrate this event as an important opportunity to highlight our passionate fans, welcoming neighborhoods and our commitment to growing the game while generating excitement in front of the FIFA World Cup 26,” Philadelphia Soccer 2026 said in June. announced that the World Cup’s fan zone will be located at: East Fairmount Park’s Lemon Hill.

The Linc has stepped up its football program since being selected as one of the 16 venues for the World Cup; A sold-out crowd of 69,879 people painted the stadium red for the match between Premier League giants Liverpool and Arsenal in July. Record football attendance at the stadium.

Next year’s club tournament runs from June 15 to July 13, with the final being held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where the World Cup final will be held a year later on July 19, 2026.

Games will be played at the following venues, in addition to the Linc stadium in East Rutherford and South Philly:

Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium
Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium
Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium
Nashville’s GEODIS Park
Orlando’s Camping World Stadium and Inter&Co Stadium
Pasadena’s Rose Bowl
Seattle’s Lumen Area
Washington, DC’s Audi Field

FIFA said it will announce details about how many matches Linc will play during the draw in December. The 30 teams that have qualified so far are as follows:

From Asia:
- United Arab Emirates: Al Ain
- Saudi Arabia: Al Hilal
- South Korea: Ulsan HD
- Japan: Urawa Red Diamonds
from europe
- Austria: Red Bull Salzburg
- England: Chelsea and Manchester City
- France: Paris Saint-Germain
- Germany: Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund
- Italy: Inter Milan and Juventus
- Portugal: Benfica and Porto
- Spain: Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid
from south america
- Argentina: Boca Juniors and River Plate
- Brazil: Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras
from North and Central America
- Mexico: Léon, Monterrey, Pachuca
- United States: Seattle Sounders
From Africa:
- Egypt: Al Ahly
- Tunisia: Espérance de Tunis
- Morocco: Wydad AC
- South Africa: Mamelodi Sunsets
From Oceania:
- New Zealand: Auckland City

Places are still open for two more teams; One more team will host from the United States, facing compatriots Botafogo or Uruguayan Peñarol in the final against South America’s 2024 Copa Libertadores winners Atlético Mineiro of Brazil (River Plate is the fourth team in the semi-finals but has already qualified for the tournament).

“This new FIFA competition is the only true example of true solidarity and inclusivity in club football worldwide, allowing the best clubs from Africa, Asia, Central and North America and Oceania to face the powerhouses of Europe and South America in an incredible new World Cup.” “This will greatly impact the growth of club football and talent globally,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in the announcement.

Tickets for the tournament are not on sale yet, however, you can register your interest on FIFA’s website..