* The 21st edition of FIFA’s flagship international club competition, featuring some of the biggest clubs and the biggest names in the football universe
* Africa to be represented by Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) alongside Egyptian giants Al Ahly and Wydad AC and Espérance de Tunis (Tunisia)
By Duncan Mlanjira
All 63 matches of the FIFA Club World Cup 25 — set for June 14 to July 13 — will be available live on ‘Your World of Champions’ SuperSport on DStv and GOtv after acquiring the broadcast rights for Sub-Saharan Africa.
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A statement from MultiChoice says the brand-new expanded FIFA Club World Cup format will debut in the United States this year and being the 21st edition of FIFA’s flagship international club competition — featuring some of the biggest clubs and the biggest names in the football universe.
Africa will be represented by four club’s, South Africa’s Premier Soccer League champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, who won the 2016 CAF Champions League, alongside Egyptian giants Al Ahly, Wydad AC (currently coached by former Sundowns and Orlando Pirates coach Rhulani Mokwena) and Espérance de Tunis from Tunisia.
Twelve European giants will feature in the competition, including tournament holders Manchester City, Spanish giants and record five-time winners Real Madrid, 2021 winners Chelsea, two-time winners Bayern Munich, as well as Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Porto.
MultiChoice Malawi’s Susan Mtegha is quoted as saying: “As Africa’s biggest sports broadcaster, we are proud to be able to bring fans the best in sporting action; to bring them the biggest names in the game and, of course, the biggest clubs coming up against each other.
“We are especially honored to partner with FIFA to bring the new format of the FIFA Club World Cup 25 to Sub-Saharan Africa viewers.
“As we’ve seen with some innovations on the European continent with the new UEFA club competition format, fans are primed for fresher approaches to long-standing traditional tournaments.
“We see the FIFA Club World Cup 25’s evolution from seven participating teams to the staggering 32 teams as a move that will pique the football interest of passionate fans.
“SuperSport cannot wait to be at the forefront of this historic transformation and to give the viewer a front-row seat to the global spectacle.”
The FIFA Club World Cup 25 is planned to be the first under an expanded format with 32 teams including the winners of the four previous continental championships.
According to internet sites, the expanded tournament format was announced in March 2019 and originally scheduled to be hosted by China in 2021 until a postponement due to the CoVID-19 pandemic.
FIFA approved the allocation of slots between confederations in February 2023 and announced the United States as the host country four months later.
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The expansion of the tournament was met with criticism by players’ Union FIFPRO and the World League Forum due to the impact it is expected to have on fixture congestion and player welfare.
Since its return from hiatus in 2005, the FIFA Club World Cup had been held annually in December and was limited to the winners of continental club competitions and according to FIFA website, as early as late 2016, FIFA president Gianni Infantino suggested expanding the Club World Cup to 32 teams beginning in 2019 and rescheduling it to June/July to be more balanced and attractive to broadcasters and sponsors.
In late 2017, FIFA discussed proposals to expand the competition to 24 teams and have it be played every four years starting in 2021, replacing the FIFA Confederations Cup, which was being played in the host country of FIFA World Cup.
