The Club World Cup begins this Saturday when Egyptian side Al Ahly take on Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.
Philly will be a host in the month-long global soccer celebration, beginning this Monday and lasting until the Fourth of July. If you haven’t been following along — or want a quick refresher — here are some of the essential details to know.
- What is the Club World Cup?
- Which teams are playing in Philly?
- When are the games in Philly?
- What are the other teams and games?
- Where else can I watch the tournament?
What is the Club World Cup?
The Club World Cup is FIFA’s tournament to crown the world’s best club team, as opposed to the World Cup that features national teams. FIFA is offering teams a total tournament prize pool of $1 billion, with the winners earning up to $125 million.
The tournament features the most successful clubs in the world over the past few years and this iteration of the tournament unveils a new format, switching the event from annual to every four years and greatly expanding the number of teams to 32 from the previous seven.
It also replaces the Confederations Cup as the de facto tune-up competition for the World Cup, since many of the 12 venues this year will be among the 16 hosting the World Cup across the U.S., Canada and Mexico next year, including Philly.
Lincoln Financial Field will host eight games of the tournament — six group-stage games, a round-of-16 game and a quarterfinal, which will happen on July 4.
Which teams are playing in Philly?
Here are the eight teams playing at Lincoln Financial Field this summer, along with some details you may or may not know about them.
Chelsea
One of the English Premier League’s giants since Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich took over the side in 2003, the London team is now owned by a consortium headed by Los Angeles Dodgers co-owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter. The team’s star player is 23-year-old midfielder Cole Palmer. Chelsea has won the tournament once and has played a few preseason games at the Linc previously, most recently in the first-ever English Premier League Summer Series in 2023.
Espérance de Tunisie
ES Tunis for short, this team from the harbor city of Radé is the most successful club in Tunisia. This will be the team’s fourth appearance at the tournament, with its best result being fifth place in the old format.
Flamengo
The Rio de Janeiro-based club formed originally as a rowing club and is historically linked with a working-class fan base. The team is estimated to have a remarkable 50 million fans globally, so expect to see a few red- and black-striped jerseys around the city around the time the team plays two games here.
Manchester City
Another English team that has been uplifted by a recent inflow of funds from new ownership, Manchester City has been a dominant force under Spanish coach Pep Guardiola since it was taken over by a United Arab Emirates-backed investment group. Norway’s Erling Haaland, Spain’s Rodri and England’s Phil Foden are part of one of the most valuable squads in the sport.
Juventus
The Turin club is Italy’s most successful team and has one of the more varied lists of nicknames in soccer, including “the Old Lady,” “the Girlfriend of Italy” and “the Zebras.” U.S. men’s national team stars Weston McKennie and Timothy Weah are on the team. McKennie is a vice-captain.
Real Madrid
The richest club in the world was also voted FIFA’s club of the 20th century, and has won more Club World Cups (5) than any other side. France’s Kylian Mbappé, Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, and England’s Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold headline this current iteration of the team’s “Galácticos” side.
FC Salzburg
This Austrian side is one of a number of teams around the world owned by energy drink and sports conglomerate Red Bull, which also run the Philadelphia Union’s major rival, the New York Red Bulls. It has been a dominant force in Austria’s competitions for the past decade, and helped produce future superstars including Haaland.
Wydad
This Casablanca-based team was initially formed for water polo and is Africa’s most successful club of the 20th century, if you total up all its domestic and continental titles. Among those, it has been crowned the champion of Africa three times, which is only surpassed by ES Tunis and three other teams on the continent.
When are the games in Philly?
Here is the full schedule at the Linc, along with ticket links through Ticketmaster, which are still available and have been trending downwards in price in recent weeks. FIFA has group packages, ticket resale and other ticket information on its website.
Group Stage
June 16, 9 p.m: Group D – Flamengo 2-0 Espérance Sportive de Tunis
June 18, noon: Group G – Manchester City 2-0 Wydad AC
June 20, 2 p.m: Group D – Flamengo 3-1 Chelsea
June 22, noon: Group G – Juventus 4-1 Wydad AC
June 24, 9 p.m: Group D – Espérance Sportive de Tunis 0-3 Chelsea
June 26, 9 p.m: Group H – Red Bull Salzburg 0-3 Real Madrid
Knockout rounds
June 28, noon: Palmeiras 1-0 Botafogo (round-of-16 game)
July 4, 9 p.m: Palmeiras vs. Chelsea (quarterfinal)
What are the other teams and games?
The full group draw is as follows:
Group A
- Palmeiras (Brazil)
- Porto (Portugal)
- Al Ahly (Egypt)
- Inter Miami (United States)
Group B
- Paris Saint-Germain (France)
- Atlético Madrid (Spain)
- Botafogo (Brazil)
- Seattle Sounders (United States)
Group C
- Bayern Munich (Germany)
- Auckland City (New Zealand)
- Benfica (Portugal)
- Boca Juniors (Argentina)
Group D
- Flamengo (Brazil)
- ES Tunis (Tunisia)
- Chelsea (England)
- Los Angeles FC (United States)
Group E
- River Plate (Argentina)
- Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)
- Monterrey (Mexico)
- Inter Milan (Italy)
Group F
- Fluminense (Brazil)
- Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
- Ulsan HD (South Korea)
- Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Group G
- Manchester City (England)
- Wydad AC (Morocco)
- Al Ain (United Arab Emirates)
- Juventus (Italy)
Group H
- Real Madrid (Spain)
- Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
- Pachuca (Mexico)
- Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
And here is how the full schedule looks.
Where else can I watch the tournament?
If you plan on catching any of the games at the Linc and want to use public transport, SEPTA has a guide with details about its added service for the tournament.
All 63 games will air for free on DAZN’s streaming platform. Select games will also air on TNT in English and in Spanish on Univision.
If you want to catch some of the tournament’s other games or soccer festivities, there will be a few watch party options around the city, organized by Philadelphia Soccer 2026, the group preparing Philly for next year’s FIFA World Cup.
On Tuesday, June 17, Dock Street Brewery South is having a Club World Cup trivia night from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., with prizes, and two games on the screens at 6 p.m: Ulsan HD against Mamelodi Sundowns and Monterrey versus Inter Milan. You can register here.
From 3 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 19, Lion Sports Bar in Chinatown is showing two of the MLS sides in the tournament, with Miami taking on Porto and the Seattle Sounders playing against Atlético Madrid. Details and registration for that are here.
On Saturday, June 21, from 5 to 8 p.m., North Philly nonprofit Lighthouse 1893 is showing Fluminense against Ulsan HD and River Plate taking on Monterrey, both kicking off at 6 p.m. This event will also have in-person soccer games, as well as live music and entertainment. Registration is here.
After Sunday, June 22’s game between Juventus and Wydad at the Linc, and before the Phillies evening game against the Mets, there will be a block party on Citizens Bank Way, with skills challenges and other activities.
Finally, on Wednesday, June 25, Two Locals Brewery in West Philly will be showing Borussia Dortmund against Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns taking on Fluminense, with specials and prizes on offer. This event runs from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. and both matches kick off at 3 p.m. Register here.
