[4] The expanded tournament format was announced in March 2019 and originally scheduled to be hosted by China in 2021 until a postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

FIFA approved the allocation of slots between confederations in February 2023 and announced the United States as the host country four months later.

[5] As early as late 2016, FIFA president Gianni Infantino suggested expanding the Club World Cup to 32 teams beginning in 2019 and rescheduling it to June/July to be more balanced and more attractive to broadcasters and sponsors.

[7] The expanded format and schedule of Club World Cup, to be played in June and July 2021, was confirmed at the March 2019 FIFA Council meeting in Miami.

[17] On February 14, 2023, the FIFA Council approved the slot allocation for the 2025 tournament based on a "set of objective metrics and criteria".

The calculation method for the four-year club rankings within each confederation was based on the teams' performance in their respective continental tournaments during seasons completed between 2021 and 2024.

[23][note 3] The following teams qualified for the tournament:[24][25][26][20] The draw was held on December 5, 2024, 1:00 p.m. EST, at the headquarters of television broadcaster Telemundo in the Miami suburb of Doral, Florida.

[29][30] The ceremony was led by Alessandro Del Piero at the Telemundo headquarters and included a video message from U.S. president-elect Donald Trump.

The schedule was created taking into account factors such as "sporting and player-centric criteria, local and traveling fans and global broadcast considerations".

[33] On July 15, 2024, media rights tender for FIFA's new top club competition open for the Americas, Asia, and Middle East & North Africa for 2025 editions.

The design features jagged-edged block patterns and deconstructed stars and stripes in red, white, and blue, the colors of the flag of the United States.

[65][12] The Spanish top division league, La Liga, also criticized the plan and said in a statement that it would consider legal action to block the expansion.

[67] The addition of the annual FIFA Intercontinental Cup tournament was also criticized for creating an overload of competitions that would further put the health of the players at risk.

The organizations also stated in the letter that they would advise member clubs to seek legal action or other options in the event that schedule congestion is not addressed.

[68][69] On June 13, 2024, FIFPRO announced that England's Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) and France's Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels (UNPF) submitted a legal claim with the Business Court in Brussels to protest the tournament.

[73] On October 3, 2024, FIFA announced that an optional transfer window from June 1–10 will be allowed for the member associations whose clubs have qualified for the tournament.

[33] In November 2024, Costa Rican club Alajuelense announced it had requested FIFA to enforce its multi-club ownership rule to disqualify either Pachuca or León and would pursue legal action if necessary.

[80] As with previous editions of the FIFA Club World Cup, the new format allocated a slot reserved for the host nation.

[81][84] On November 10, 2024, Inter Miami CF was eliminated from the MLS Cup playoffs by Atlanta United FC in the first round.