Atlanta among cities that will host Club World Cup

Atlanta was among eight sites selected to host next year’s Club World Cup, FIFA announced Saturday.

FIFA didn’t announce how many matches or what level of matches each of the eight cities will host in the 32-team tournament, scheduled to be played between June 15-July 13. The tournament draw is scheduled to be held in December.

Atlanta will host at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Other sites and stadiums are: Pasadena and the Rose Bowl, Nashville and GEODIS Park, Charlotte and Bank of America Stadium, Cincinnati and TQL Stadium, Orlando and Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium, Miami and Hard Rock Stadium, Philadelphia and Lincoln Financial Field, Seattle and Lumen Field, and Washington, D.C., and Audi Field. The championship will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

“Being named a host city for FIFA’s Club World Cup in 2025 is yet another great accomplishment for our city,” said Dan Corso, Atlanta Sports Council and Atlanta World Cup Host Committee President said in a statement. “Our region continues to build its reputation as a global destination for international soccer events and this will be a great way to celebrate being one-year out from hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026.”

The Club World Cup typically is played in a country the year before it hosts the World Cup to provide a test run for the stadiums and supporting infrastructures. Atlanta is scheduled to host eight matches in the 2026 World Cup.

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The Club World Cup originated in 2020 and features the best clubs from among the different FIFA regions: North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. The 2025 edition will include 12 teams from Europe, six from South America, four each from Asia, Africa and North America, one from Oceania and one more from the host nation.

Among the teams that have qualified are: Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Boca Juniors, Borussia Dortmund, Monterrey, Pachuca, Chelsea, Porto, Flamengo, Fluminense, Juventus, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, River Plate and Seattle.

The tournament format will be eight groups of four. The top two teams will advance to the group of 16 with a single-match knockout from there to through the championship.

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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule

Feb. 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0

March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1

March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0

March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0

March 31 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 0

April 6 Atlanta United 1, NYCFC 1

April 14 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 2

April 20 Cincinnati 2, Atlanta United 1

April 27 Atlanta United 1, Chicago 1

May 4 Minnesota 2, Atlanta United 1

May 7 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte Independence 0 in U.S. Open Cup