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The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup concluded on July 13 with Chelsea's shock 3-0 final victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
The expanded tournament may not have attracted the crowds FIFA hoped for in the early rounds, but there have nonetheless been plenty of good storylines to build interest over the latter stages, from the successes of the South American nations to a healthy spread of surprise results up until the end.
Of course, everything about the Club World Cup has been viewed through the prism of next year's FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Since the Confederations Cup no longer exists, this club tournament has served as a preview event to next year's 48-team World Cup, which is likely to break records for attendance and TV audience figures.
With that in mind, there are plenty of topics that have emerged during the Club World Cup that pertain directly to the potential success of next year's main event.
MORE: Why critics of playing in U.S. summer should cool it
Writers and editors from across The Sporting News' editions examined some of the main topics for FIFA and organisers to consider as attention turns from the Club World Cup to the 2026 World Cup in North America.
'94 World Cup final shows risk of playing in extreme summer heat
Playing World Cup matches at midday or in the early afternoon during the North American summer is a big mistake that harms both the quality of the game and the players' health, as was shown during the Club World Cup. In many host cities, temperatures can easily exceed 90°F (32–33°C), leading to reduced intensity, extreme physical wear and tear, and a higher risk of heat-related illnesses.
This has been a well-known issue in past FIFA tournaments. Diego Maradona, for example, heavily criticised conditions both in Mexico 1986 and United States 1994. He wasn't alone — many players complained about being forced to play under a roasting sun, with match times set more for TV audiences in Europe than for the athletes' well-being.
The most striking example remains the 1994 final between Brazil and Italy, played at 12:30 p.m. in California, under nearly 100°F heat. It is widely remembered as one of the worst finals in World Cup history: no goals in 120 minutes, a slow pace, and visibly exhausted players struggling with those conditions.
Scheduling matches later in the day would also help boost attendance in the stadiums, especially on weekdays and in less high-profile games. A simple shift in timing would benefit the players, and the fans in the hosts countries. In Russia 2018, South Africa 2010, Germany 2006 and South Korea/Japan 2002 (Qatar 2022 and Brazil 2014 were played during winter in those countries) the big majority of the games started after 4 p.m. local time, which is much better than the more than 30 games that started before 4 p.m. during the Club World Cup.
Agustin Aboy
Auckland City show need to balance representation with competitive games
There are valid arguments for including lower-tier teams in global tournaments, as long as their presence ensures fair geographic representation. Even if they are clearly outmatched, as Auckland City were against Benfica (6-0) and Bayern Munich (10-0), their participation makes sense within the global football landscape.
In the Club World Cup, Auckland City represented all of Oceania — a region that would lose international visibility without at least one guaranteed spot. No matter the gap in quality, excluding an entire confederation simply for lacking competitiveness seems unfair.
The challenge arises when scaling this model. While the CWC featured 32 teams, the next FIFA World Cup will include 48 national sides. What was a harmless exception in the Club World Cup could multiply in a larger tournament, increasing the risk of lopsided matches and diminishing the appeal of the competition.
Juan Estevez
MORE: Watch all the goals from Bayern's historic win over Auckland City
FIFA's climate commitment needs action more than words
A lot of people might think having a commitment to halving carbon emissions just four years after staging the largest World Cup in history across the North American continent doesn't quite add up, but this is where we are.
FIFA's climate strategy has rightly been championed by president Gianni Infantino, who describes the impact of the global heating crisis as arguably the "most critical" of our time. The governing body published a "climate awareness" page specifically focused on the Club World Cup, and a sustainability strategy is in place for next year's finals. This all feels like the bear minimum of appropriate action, but it's still welcome to see.
The problem is carrying out these plans in real terms. Much of the Club World Cup climate awareness page consists of messages directed at the reader, urging them to "measure your own carbon emissions" or search for local climate action organisations. Meanwhile, an expanded club tournament whose raison d'etre has been questioned by plenty of key figures in football created an estimated 44,390 minutes of air-travel time, all while US president Donald Trump, who will attend Sunday's final in New Jersey, has persisted in decrying the climate crisis as a hoax.
A report published by Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) said next year's World Cup will be the most climate-damaging in history due to its expansion to 48 competing nations and the fact it is staged across three large countries. It is likely, the report says, that the tournament will produce almost double the average footprint of carbon dioxide equivalent, or CO2e — a means of measuring the warming effects of different greenhouse gasses — compared to previous World Cups. Thus equates to nearly 6.5 million average cars in Britain being driven for a whole year.
When the bid was launched, FIFA said the 2026 World Cup would "establish new standards for environmental sustainability in sport and deliver measurable environmental benefits". The onus is on organisers to put this into practice beyond urging matchgoing fans at the warm-up event to do their bit.
Joe Wright
Super Bowl-style halftime show needs work
If the scenes at Sunday's final between Chelsea and PSG are anything to go by, FIFA president Gianni Infantino's sycophantic courting of U.S. president Donald Trump will rumble on next summer. If we could keep POTUS out of the trophy lift next time, that'd be nice, but you expect Infantino doesn't view this as a problem in the slightest.
However, taking the FIFA chief on his own merits, he promised a halftime show "befitting the biggest sporting event in the world". If the Club World Cup halftime show is what he has in mind, then there's work to be done.
The vast majority of football fans would prefer we stick with the standard 15-minute break and get on with the game. But, seeing as this is Gianni's world and we're all living in it (even you, Donald), then it's time to proffer some advice. Soccer, that weird game that can finish zero-zero after 90 minutes, is competing for U.S. eyeballs. It's the main reason its biggest global tournament is going to North America in its biggest ever form.
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) July 13, 2025With that in mind, the last thing it can do is look like a cheap version of the NFL. Robbie Williams was the start turn at Sunday's pre-match show, a man whose profile only truly took off in America after more than 30 years in showbiz when he had a monkey play him in his own biopic. Coldplay are probably more in line with the big-hitters Infantino needs to rope in next year and singer Chris Martin will have role to play as an advisor.
Martin helped to curate this weekend's show and chucked his own band into the mix to give the halftime event a badly needed lift in profile. However, it all taking place on a stage lodged up in the third tier of MetLife Stadium made the whole thing look like a knock-off alternative to the Super Bowl bonanza, which has become appointment viewing in the States. If Infantino's going to add 10 minutes onto the interval at the most important football game on the planet, he'd better make it worth his and our while.
Dom Farrell
English (US)