The FIFA Club World Cup 2025, hosted in the United States from June 14 to July 13, is an expanded 32-team tournament featuring top clubs from every continent. With eight groups of four teams each, only the top teams in each group advance to the knockout stage, starting with the round of 16. This article breaks down how teams can qualify for the round of 16, the tiebreaker rules and all you need to know.

Understanding the Group Stage Format

The tournament’s group stage consists of eight groups (A to H), with each team playing three matches in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to the round of 16. Points are awarded as follows:

• Win: 3 points

• Draw: 1 point

• Loss: 0 points

Tiebreaker Rules for Group Stage

If teams finish with equal points, FIFA uses the following tiebreakers to determine group rankings:

• Group Points: Total points from all group matches.

• Head-to-Head Results: Points earned in matches between tied teams.

• Head-to-Head Goal Difference: Goal difference in matches between tied teams.

• Head-to-Head Goals Scored: Goals scored in matches between tied teams.

• Overall Goal Difference: Goal difference across all group matches.

• Overall Goals Scored: Total goals scored in all group matches.

• Disciplinary Points: Based on yellow and red cards (fewer points are better).

• Drawing of Lots: If all else fails, a random draw decides the ranking.

These tiebreakers, unique compared to FIFA’s national World Cup, emphasize head-to-head performance, making every group match critical.