MUMBAI: Here’s even more good news for football fans. There’s more football fever being kicked into your living rooms to cheer for until you are hoarse.
The international football federation Fifa has signed up with streamer Dazn making it the exclusive global broadcaster of the FiFa Club World Cup 2025. Under the agreement, the tournament which will see 32 clubs from all over the world fighting it out for the trophy over 63 matches is to be live streamed on Dazn free globally in multiple languages, and includes the possibility of sub-licensing to local free to air linear broadcast networks.
The Fifa Club World Cup 2025, which was launched in 2000, but had gone through a bumpy ride in certain years, was converted into a quadrennial competition (starting 2025) when it was last held in 2023. The teams are drawn into eight groups of four, with each team playing three group stage matches in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, starting with the round of 16 and culminating with the final.
In its previous avatar when it was an annual competition, Real Madrid emerged as the winner on five occasions, Spanish teams have won the tournament eight times. The current champions are Manchester City which held the trophy aloft in 2023.
The agreement to hold the exclusive global broadcast rights to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 marks the start of a broader partnership between Dazn and Fifa. This includes integrating Fifa+, Fifa’s library of iconic football moments and full-match replays, as well as live fixtures, into the Dazn platform.
The partnership begins with the draw of the Fifa Club World Cup which will be broadcast live on Dazn on 5 December. The 32 participating clubs will discover their group-stage opponents in a live studio event that will kick off at 13:00 EST/18:00 GMT/19:00 CET. The Fifa Club World Cup 2025, which kicks off on Sunday 15 June 2025 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami will have matches being played in 12 venues across the US over a 29-day period, culminating with the final at MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey on Sunday, 13 July 2025.
Making a top club competition freely available to every single fan globally, the ground breaking partnership combines Dazn’s unique expertise and vision for the future with Fifa’s commitment to making football truly global, claims a press release issued by the two.
It also helps that the Fifa Club World Cup has finally found a home as this will help the football federation rope in sponsors. Reports say that the clubs have been asking for $50 million per head to participate ; so far it has managed to sign up Chinese electronics firm Hi-sense, Anheuser Busch (AB InBev) and Bank of America as sponsors. Additionally, reports say that the deal between Dazn and Fifa is valued at about $1 billion, though no financial terms were disclosed.
“I am delighted to announce that Fifa, in partnership with Dazn and Fifa+, will bring the best of club football for free to everywhere in the world, meaning that every single football fan across the globe can watch the best players from the 32 best clubs compete in the new Fifa Club World Cup to be the first official Fifa Club World Champions’,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino “The new Fifa Club World Cup is a merit-based, inclusive tournament that will be the pinnacle of global club football, capturing the imagination of players and fans across the world. Through this broadcasting agreement, billions of football fans worldwide can now watch what will be the most widely accessible club football tournament ever – and for free. Football Unites the World.”
Added Dazn chief executive officer Shay Segev: “This groundbreaking deal with Fifa is a major milestone in Dazn’s journey to be the ultimate entertainment platform of choice for sports fans everywhere. We’re delighted to have the exclusive rights to this new chapter in global club football, marking the start of our long-term relationship with FIFA and cementing our status as the home of football. Dazn is the only sports streaming platform that has a truly global reach, with world-leading technology and a single-minded focus to deliver the very best digital experience for all sports fans. We’re committed to ensuring that every fan can watch every moment of the thrilling action from this new prime club tournament.”
Dazn – a fully interactive and immersive platform – enables fans to watch, play, buy and connect, all in one place and with a single account. It is available on all connected devices, including smart TVs, smartphones, tablets and game consoles. It has a large portfolio of sports rights and that includes the world’s most prestigious leagues. Its content is watched by over 300 million viewers in more than 200 markets. It is normally charges a subscription fee for premium sports tournaments.
A detractor says that Dazn and Fifa have taken the decision to stream the Fifa Club World Cup for free as the tournament is working on gaining prestige amongst football fans. As well as advertisers.
“It does not have the respectability of the La Liga or the EPL. In its annual avatar it did not get even a fraction of the eyeballs the EPL does. Hence by streaming it for free, both Fifa and Dazn are hoping it will grow on football fans,” says a football rights expert.
The critics can carp from the sidelines, but with both Fifa and Dazn working in tandem, the Fifa Club World Cup 2025 could well end scoring well with viewers. And come out a winner!
FIFA Club World Cup 2025 – participating clubs
Africa: Al Ahly FC (EGY), Espérance Sportive de Tunis (TUN), Mamelodi Sundowns FC (RSA), Wydad AC (MAR)
Asia: Al Ain FC (UAE), Al Hilal (KSA), Ulsan HD (KOR), Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN)
Europe: Atlético de Madrid (ESP), FC Bayern München (GER), SL Benfica (POR), Borussia Dortmund (GER), Chelsea FC (ENG), FC Internazionale Milano (ITA), Juventus FC (ITA), Manchester City (ENG), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), FC Porto (POR), Real Madrid CF (ESP), FC Salzburg (AUT)
North and Central America and the Caribbean: CF Monterrey (MEX), CF Pachuca (MEX), Club León (MEX), Inter Miami CF (USA), Seattle Sounders FC (USA) Oceania: Auckland City FC (NZL)
South America: CA Boca Juniors (ARG), Botafogo (BRA), CR Flamengo (BRA), Fluminense FC (BRA), SE Palmeiras (BRA), CA River Plate (ARG)
