FILE PHOTO: FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks at a news conference following the 73rd FIFA Congress at the BK Arena in Kigali, Rwanda March 16, 2023. REUTERS/Jean Bizimana/File Photo
(Reuters) - The first edition of FIFA's new 32-team Club World Cup will be held in the United States in 2025, world soccer's governing body said on Friday.
FIFA had confirmed in March that the revamped Club World Cup will be played every four years from June 2025. The FIFA Council unanimously appointed the United States as the competition's hosts for the first edition of the expanded format.
The United States are also co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup along with Mexico and Canada.
"The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be the pinnacle of elite professional men's club football," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.
"With the required infrastructure in place together with a massive local interest, the United States is the ideal host to kick off this new, global tournament."
Confederation champions from 2021-2024 will be eligible to play in the new Club World Cup, which means Chelsea, Real Madrid and last season's Champions League winners Manchester City have qualified from Europe.
The current version of the FIFA Club World Cup -- an annual competition with seven teams -- will be discontinued after 2023.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
