The first edition of the revamped, 32-team Club World Cup is set to be showcased across the United States throughout much of the summer, starting Saturday.
One year before the World Cup will be hosted in North America, the Club World Cup — for the best club teams, rather than national teams — serves as a trial run of sorts.
Club teams from all over the world — selected from FIFA’s six continental governing bodies — will compete for the distinction of being named the best team on the planet.
They’re divided into eight groups of four teams for the group stage. The top two teams from each group’s round robin advance to the knockout rounds. The final is set for MetLife Stadium on July 13. All games are being streamed for free on DAZN.
Let’s dive into the teams that will be participating:
Federation: CONMEBOL
Country: Brazil
Odds to win: 35/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2021 Copa Libertadores
Player to watch: MF Felipe Anderson
Skinny: Some of Brazil’s all-time legends — including Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Rivaldo and others — went through the famous club in São Paulo during their formative years. They’ve won the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A a record 12 times.
Federation: UEFA
Country: Portugal
Odds to win: 35/1
How they qualified: No. 5 team in UEFA four-year ranking
Player to watch: F Samu Aghehowa
Skinny: One of Portugal’s “Big Three” clubs — which have won the league every single year with only two exceptions.
Federation: CAF
Country: Egypt
Odds to win: 250/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2020-21 CAF Champions League
Player to watch: MF Emam Ashour
Skinny: By far the biggest and most successful team in Egypt, they’ve won the Egyptian Premier League a whopping 45 times — including the past three years. They are a force across Africa.
Federation: CONCACAF
Country: USA
Odds to win: 14/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield
Player to watch: F Lionel Messi
Skinny: In just their sixth season since being founded as an expansion club, they’ve attracted top talent — namely Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba — on the back end of their careers, along with manager Javier Mascherano.
Federation: UEFA
Country: France
Odds to win: 5/1
How they qualified: No. 2 team in UEFA in four-year ranking
Player to watch: F Désiré Doué
Skinny: Nearly a shoo-in to win the Ligue 1 every year, PSG finally ended a long wait to claim their first UEFA Champions League title in May. Doué, 20, has emerged as one of the top young talents in the world.
Federation: UEFA
Country: Spain
Odds to win: 14/1
How they qualified: No. 6 team in UEFA four-year ranking
Player to watch: F Julián Alvarez
Skinny: Their playing style under manager Diego Simeone — relentless defending and crunching tackles — is one of the most recognizable in the world.
Federation: CONMEBOL
Country: Brazil
Odds to win: 40/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2024 Copa Libertadores
Player to watch: F Arthur Cabral
Skinny: The Rio de Janeiro-based team just signed Cabral on a lucrative deal, bolstering their attack ahead of the tournament.
Federation: CONCACAF
Country: USA
Odds to win: 100/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2022 CONCACAF Champions League
Player to watch: MF Albert Rusnák
Skinny: A contender nearly every year since joining MLS in 2009, they have a rabid fan base that is sure to make noise throughout the tournament.
Federation: UEFA
Country: Germany
Odds to win: 7/1
How they qualified: No. 1 team in UEFA four-year ranking
Player to watch: MF Jamal Musiala
Skinny: By far the most dominant team in the Bundesliga nearly every year and one of the best annually in Europe, they’ve won the German league 12 of the past 13 years — reclaiming their place at the top this year after faltering in 2023-24.
Federation: OFC
Country: New Zealand
Odds to win: 1,000/1
How they qualified: No. 1 OFC Champions League winner in four-year ranking
Player to watch: D Hiroki Sakai
Skinny: Joined the Australian A-League in 2023 and subsequently won the league this past year.
Federation: CONMEBOL
Country: Argentina
Odds to win: 50/1
How they qualified: No. 2 CONMEBOL team in four-year ranking
Player to watch: F Edinson Cavani
Skinny: The famous club based in Buenos Aires is known for one of the most raucous home crowds in the world and one of the fiercest rivalries — with River Plate — in sports. Cavani gives them star power.
Federation: UEFA
Country: Portugal
Odds to win: 35/1
How they qualified: No. 7 team in UEFA four-year ranking
Player to watch: F Vangelis Pavlidis
Skinny: One of Portugal’s “Big Three” along with Porto, they’ve won the Primeira Liga a record 38 times.
Federation: CONMEBOL
Country: Brazil
Odds to win: 35/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2022 Copa Libertadores
Player to watch: MF Giorgian de Arrascaeta
Skinny: Considered the most popular team in the country based out of Rio de Janeiro, they’re always at or near the top of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. They also just signed ex-Chelsea and Arsenal star Jorginho ahead of the tournament.
Federation: CAF
Country: Tunisia
Odds to win: 500/1
How they qualified: No. 1 CAF team in four-year ranking
Player to watch: MF Yan Sasse
Skinny: The oldest and most successful team in Tunisia, they’ve won the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 a total of 34 times — including last year and eight of the past nine seasons.
Federation: UEFA
Country: England
Odds to win: 10/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2020-21 UEFA Champions League
Player to watch: MF Cole Palmer
Skinny: They’ve regressed in recent years since that 2020-21 Champions League title, despite exorbitant expenditures under American owner Todd Boehly. Still, they have tons of talent in the squad.
Federation: CONCACAF
Country: USA
Odds to win: 80/1
How they qualified: Winners of playoff
Player to watch: GK Hugo Lloris
Skinny: They’ve made plenty of noise in a short period of time after joining MLS in 2018, having won the MLS Cup once and Supporters’ Shield twice. LAFC possess a few household names finishing their careers in America.
Federation: CONMEBOL
Country: Argentina
Odds to win: 50/1
How they qualified: No. 1 CONMEBOL team in four-year ranking
Player to watch: D Marcos Acuña
Skinny: The most successful team in Argentina and based in Buenos Aires, they have won the Primera División a record 38 times — most recently in 2023. Some of Argentina’s all-time legends, including Alfredo Di Stéfano, came through the club.
Federation: AFC
Country: Japan
Odds to win: 150/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2022 AFC Champions League
Player to watch: MF Ryoma Watanabe
Skinny: Have struggled in the J1 League in recent years, but their triumph in the 2022 AFC Champions League earned them qualification.
Federation: CONCACAF
Country: Mexico
Odds to win: 200/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2021 CONCACAF Champions League
Player to watch: D Sergio Ramos
Skinny: Possessing one of the best-ever defenders and longtime Real Madrid staple in Ramos, in the tail end of his career at age 39, should be enough to tune in.
Federation: UEFA
Country: Italy
Odds to win: 14/1
How they qualified: No. 4 team in UEFA four-year ranking
Player to watch: F Lautaro Martínez
Skinny: They just had their hearts broken, as Paris Saint-Germain routed them in the Champions League Final in May. Always a strong defensive side.
Federation: CONMEBOL
Country: Brazil
Odds to win: 50/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2023 Copa Libertadores
Player to watch: D Thiago Silva
Skinny: The legendary Silva returned to the club — one of the oldest in Brazil — after starring across Europe with AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
Federation: UEFA
Country: Germany
Odds to win: 25/1
How they qualified: No. 3 team in UEFA in four-year ranking
Player to watch: F Serhou Guirassy
Skinny: Often struggling to rise above their place as Germany’s second-best team behind Bayern Munich, they’ve developed youngsters into superstars, but often ship them out for high fees.
Federation: AFC
Country: South Korea
Odds to win: 200/1
How they qualified: No. 1 AFC team in four-year ranking
Player to watch: F Erick Farias
Skinny: They’ve won the K League 1 the past three seasons, cementing themselves as a dynasty in South Korea.
Federation: CAF
Country: South Africa
Odds to win: 500/1
How they qualified: No. 2 CAF team in four-year ranking
Player to watch: MF Themba Zwane
Skinny: A powerhouse in South Africa, they won the South African Premiership the past eight years. Zwane is considered one of the best players in the country’s history.
Federation: UEFA
Country: England
Odds to win: 5/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2022-23 UEFA Champions League
Player to watch: F Erling Haaland
Skinny: After winning the English Premier League four straight years — once claiming the heralded treble (winning Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup) — they took a brief step back this past year. But they’ve already loaded up on new talent and are as formidable a side as any in the world.
Federation: CAF
Country: Morocco
Odds to win: 500/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2021-22 CAF Champions League
Player to watch: F Mohamed Rayhi
Skinny: A continental rival with Al Ahly, they represent the famous city of Casablanca.
Federation: AFC
Country: United Arab Emirates
Odds to win: 200/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2023-24 AFC Champions League
Player to watch: F Soufiane Rahimi
Skinny: Perennially one of the best teams in the UAE Pro League and across Asia.
Federation: UEFA
Country: Italy
Odds to win: 25/1
How they qualified: No. 8 team in UEFA four-year ranking
Player to watch: F Randal Kolo Muani
Skinny: The most successful team in Italy, having won the Serie A 36 times, they’ve taken a step back the past four years after winning the league nine straight seasons.
Federation: UEFA
Country: Spain
Odds to win: 4/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2021-22 UEFA Champions League
Player to watch: F Kylian Mbappé
Skinny: The biggest and most prestigious team in the world, they had a down year for their standards, failing to win any of Spain’s three most important trophies. But they’re a powerhouse and their list of superstars goes on and on, including Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior, Thibaut Courtois and Federico Valverde.
Federation: AFC
Country: Saudi Arabia
Odds to win: 50/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2021 AFC Champions League
Player to watch: F Aleksandar Mitrovic
Skinny: One of a few Saudi clubs that have used the lure of massive salaries to pry talent away from European leagues, they have a few household names on the roster. They finished this past season in second in the Saudi Pro League.
No matter where you are in the world, you can watch the FIFA Club World Cup for free on DAZN. All you need to get started is an email address. No subscription is required, but you will have to make a free account on the streamer to start watching.
DAZN also has premium, paid options available to enhance your viewing experience with HDR picture, Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, and fewer ads. DAZN Premium plans begin at $19.99/month.
Federation: CONCACAF
Country: Mexico
Odds to win: 150/1
How they qualified: Winners of 2024 CONCACAF Champions League
Player to watch: F Salomón Rondón
Skinny: Jaime Lozano, after an extremely brief stint as manager of the Mexican national team, has only been in charge at Pachuca for a few weeks. Rondón, even at this stage of his career, is a lethal goal scorer, scoring nine goals in seven games to lead Pachuca in their victory of the last edition of the CONCACAF Champions League.
Federation: UEFA
Country: Austria
Odds to win: 80/1
How they qualified: No. 9 team in UEFA four-year ranking
Player to watch: MF Oscar Gloukh
Skinny: Part of the Red Bull family of teams the company owns, they won the Austrian Football Bundesliga 10 straight years before coming in second the past two seasons.
CONCACAF: Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football
CAF: Confederation of African Football
AFC: Asian Football Confederation
CONMEBOL: Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (South America)
OFC: Oceania Football Confederation
UEFA: Union of European Football Associations