FIFA has announced a significant reclassification of its Club World Cup history, redefining previous winners and naming Chelsea as the first-ever champion of the competition under its new format.
Effective from the 2025 edition, all teams previously recognized as FIFA Club World Cup champions will now be known as FIFA Intercontinental Cup winners. An announcement from FIFA on July 20, 2025, confirmed this change, officially establishing Chelsea as the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup champion after their 3-0 victory over French side PSG on July 13th.
The new FIFA Club World Cup, which debuted in 2025, is an expanded tournament featuring 32 teams. It will be hosted every four years, with the United States as the first host nation. FIFA has invested over $2 billion in this revamped competition, projecting earnings of $4 billion.
Before this redefinition, the FIFA Club World Cup was initially established in 2000 and then rebooted in 2005, typically featuring six to seven teams annually. The 2024 edition was replaced by the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
Following the reclassification, the 12 teams previously crowned Club World Cup champions — including Real Madrid (5 times), Barcelona (3 times), Corinthians, Bayern Munich, and Chelsea (twice each), along with Liverpool, São Paulo, Internacional, AC Milan, Manchester United, Inter Milan, and Manchester City (once each) — are now officially recognized as FIFA Intercontinental Cup winners.
