The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup garnered an estimated 2.7 billion viewers across the competition, according to figures from FIFA.
The competition, reformatted to become a 32-team tournament, was held in the US from June 14-July 13, won by Chelsea FC beating Paris Saint-Germain in the final 3-0.
DAZN secured the global broadcasting rights for the competition, worth a reported $1bn, and covered all 63 games reaching almost 80% of football fans across the globe.
With its digital-first broadcasts, 80% of DAZN viewers engaged with non-live content during the tournament, demonstrating a growing appetite for multi-formated football broadcasts and accessible content.
Speaking to Insider Sport prior to the competition, Pete Oliver, CEO of Growth Markets at DAZN, said he believed the competition would help DAZN enter new markets in its bid to become the “global home of football.
In order to maximise global reach, DAZN made the Club World Cup free to watch by signing up with an account. The company also inked multiple sublicence partnerships, such as with 5 in the UK, to bring its broadcasts to free-to-air channels.
5’s viewership for the Club World Cup final on July 13 peaked at 2.4 million viewers, bolstered by Chelsea competing and ultimately winning the competition.
“The numbers demonstrate the extraordinary global appetite for accessible, high-quality football content. Our partnership with FIFA for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 has set a new global benchmark for experiencing football and the tournament has shown just how powerful the sport can be when presented through a digital-first, fan-centric lens,” said CEO of DAZN Group, Shay Segev.
“Together with FIFA, we are proud to have set new standards for global reach and engagement and to have connected fans around the world to one of football’s most exciting tournaments.”
Attendance figures
FIFA also revealed up to 2.5 million fans attended matches across the 11 host US cities during the competition.
While attendances saw a gradual increase as the tournament progressed through the knockout stages, there were significant volumes of empty seats and entire stands in US stadiums during the group phase.
According to statistics gathered by Football Ground Guide, only nine out of the 48 group stage games were at 90% capacity or more. During the knockout stage, eight out of a total 15 matches were at 90% capacity or more.
There are several factors as to why Club World Cup attendances may not have been as high as FIFA would have hoped for. Firstly, many group stage fixtures were played between 12:00-6:00pm EST and PT times in the US, hours where Americans are typically working or commuting.
Football, or soccer, is also not one of the US’ leading sports, with American football, basketball and baseball reigning in terms of popularity. However, with the growth of Major League Soccer, the success of the US women’s national team, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup being co-hosted in the US next year, soccer popularity is projected to grow further.
“These preliminary figures confirm that the FIFA Club World Cup has been a global success and a game-changer,” said FIFA Secretary General, Mattias Grafström.
“From the incredible atmosphere in the stadiums in the United States to 2.7 billion people engaging around the world, the tournament has exceeded expectations. FIFA promised to take this tournament to the world, and there’s no doubt that the world took to the tournament.”
A platform for future success?
Grafström’s rhetoric would suggest the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup as a success, maintaining plans to host the next edition in 2029.
Brazil have already announced their intention to host the forthcoming competition, with further interest from Australia, Qatar and the US again.
Football clubs across the world have signalled their interest in competing in the next edition of the tournament. With Chelsea receiving $114m in prize money for winning, , clubs such as FC Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United – who did not qualify for the 2025 competition – have even called for the tournament to be held every two years owing to the financial incentives.
