FIFA Club World Cup will make soccer an even bigger deal in Charlotte this summer
You may have heard — but quite likely you haven’t — that there is a major, month-long world soccer competition that will take place in the United States this summer.
It’s called the FIFA Club World Cup, and it will be played by “the 32 best teams in the world.” That quote comes from Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, who flew into Charlotte Monday afternoon to promote this new event.
Why is the head of one of sports’ most influential organizations in the Queen City? Because Bank of America Stadium is a host site for the event and will put on four big-time men’s soccer matches in late June, with at least one of them featuring soccer powerhouse Real Madrid and another showcasing Bayern Munich.
All those soccer teams will be playing on grass. Bank of America’s artificial turf will be temporarily replaced by grass for those four matches in June.
Infantino mentioned the “playing on grass” detail Monday, when he met with a small group of us reporters in advance of a larger event that will be held in Charlotte Tuesday morning. And it’s not just any grass, either, he said, but a specially designed one that has been produced in conjunction with a “pitch research project” that FIFA is sponsoring at both the University of Tennessee and Michigan State.
“Our task is to make sure that we set the scene for the actors to shine, and they must have the best conditions ever,” Infantino said.
The same sort of grass used in Charlotte will also be used at the FIFA World Cup in 2026, which is a different, larger event and will be hosted jointly by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
If you’re a Carolina Panthers or Charlotte FC player, you may be reading this and thinking: So why will visiting soccer players from other countries enjoy playing on a beautiful grass field in my home stadium, but then I will be playing on artificial turf right after that?
That’s a good question, and one you should ask Panthers and Charlotte FC owner David Tepper the next time you see him. I’m sure he will enjoy answering it.
But for the tens of thousands of fans who will go to these four soccer matches, the playing surface probably doesn’t make much difference. What makes more difference to them will be the setup and the stars of the FIFA Club World Cup tournament, which honestly I didn’t know much about before Infantino’s visit but am now beginning to get excited about.
Unlike the soccer “friendlies” that Bank of America Stadium has hosted for years — ultimately, exhibitions that don’t mean much — this event should bring out most of the world’s best players. It’s an actual tournament, with 32 teams and 63 matches.
Group play. Knockout stages. The whole bit.
And it has its own worldwide promoter in FIFA, the formidable organization represented by Infantino. The FIFA president said Monday the organization will donate a million dollars to charity in Charlotte and the same amount to the other 10 American host cities for the FIFA Club World Cup as well, with the idea being that social causes will benefit and new soccer fields for kids will be built.
Infantino also is a promoter at heart, of course, as evidenced by what he said Monday about the dazzling new FIFA Club World Cup Trophy that’s traveling around with him on this whistlestop tour of important sites for this summer’s competition.
“It’s a trophy which represents the world, the universe, the Big Bang,” Infantino said. “It’s something new. It’s a trophy which is here to stay, for the next decade, and centuries and millenniums.”
Millenniums? OK, let’s not get carried away.
But it’s true that this competition will be a big deal this summer for soccer aficionados.
The top prize for the winning club is $125 million. Players who can be identified throughout the world by a single name — Messi, Mbappé, Vinícius Jr. — are scheduled to play. Kylian Mbappé should play in Charlotte, in fact, given that he plays for Real Madrid.
Is this the actual World Cup, with countries competing against each other in what many people consider the most important sporting event in the world?
No, it isn’t.
But it’s the next best thing.
FIFA Club World Cup details
Dates: The FIFA Club World Cup begins June 14, 2025, when reigning African champions Al Ahly FC plays against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami CF in Miami. It ends July 13, with the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Charlotte’s role: Charlotte will host four of the event’s 63 matches. Bank of America Stadium will host matches on June 22, 24, 28 and 30, with the last two of those being “round of 16” knockout matches.
TV: All 63 FIFA Club World Cup matches will be streamed free worldwide by DAZN.
Charlotte matches: Only the first two matches of Charlotte’s four have their teams decided. Those are:
June 22: Real Madrid vs. CF Pachuca (3 p.m.)
June 24: SL Benfica vs Bayern Munich (3 p.m.).
The June 28 and 30 matches in Charlotte will be determined by who advances from the group stage.
Tickets: Available at FIFA.com/tickets. Prices for upper-deck tickets range from $55 and up.
This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
