September 5 – The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup scheduled for summer 2025 in the US has been short on detail as regards venues, infrastructure and commercial partners, but FIFA has now unveiled the emblem for the competition.
The design, which is deliberately minimalist, features tournament initials and “takes inspiration from the ball, football history and culture”, said FIFA.
Italian pop singer and songwriter Gala’s Freed from Desire song will be the tournament’s audio signature. FIFA has also launched ‘Take it to the World’ – a call to action for fans to showcase what makes their club special.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: “Today, we launched the brand of the new FIFA Club World Cup – the start of a new era in club football.”
“Thirty-two of the best clubs from all corners of the world will be competing in the United States in June and July 2025. They are at the heart of the tournament. And we cannot wait. Thirty-two of the best clubs globally will meet on the world stage and only one will be crowned world champions.”
The emblem, which will be adapted and used for all future editions of the tournament, uses the initials of the tournament ‘C – W – C’ abstracted into a circular icon allowing space in the centre to be adapted with the logos and imagery of competing clubs.
The Club World Cup is scheduled to be played from June 15 to July 13. To date 30 of the 32 teams have qualified, with an additional club from Conmebol and the USA to be confirmed.
In its PR, FIFA say that the “inaugural 32-team tournament in the United States will change the face of club football globally”. There are a lot of leagues nationally and Champions Leagues in FIFA’s confederations that would take issue with that remarkably bold statement.
FIFA has to actually stage the competition first, it also has to find significant money for the big teams, especially those from Europe, that make it meaningful enough for them to take seriously.
The logo is a good start even though the competition has resembled smoke and mirrors throughout its difficult gestation period. But one fancy new logo and a hook-up with an Italian pop star won’t change the world of club football globally, however many times FIFA pretends it will.
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