People work at the Rose Bowl Stadium in California, on June 12 ahead of the Club World Cup 2025.
For the first time in the history of the FIFA Club World Cup, four African clubs will take the global stage when the expanded tournament kicks off in the United States on Sunday, June 15. Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Espérance de Tunis (Tunisia), and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) will represent the continent in what is being billed as a new era for club football.
The Club World Cup isn't new — it's been around since 2000 — but this year is different. The tournament has been supersized. Instead of seven teams and a quick knockout format, 2025's edition features 32 clubs, a group stage, and a month-long run across 11 U.S. cities. It ends on July 13 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where Nigerian starTems will headline the tournament's first-ever halftime show. Sixty-three matches. Sixty-three chances for clubs outside Europe and South America to prove they belong.
Africa has never had more than one team at a time in the Club World Cup. That changes this year. For decades, the continent's champions showed up, played one or two games, often against vastly better-resourced clubs, and went home. The two exceptions? The Democratic Republic of Congo's TP Mazembe's stunning run to the final in 2010 and Morocco's Raja Casablanca's underdog story that saw the team make it to the 2013 final. Neither team won, but both defied expectations and reminded the world that African clubs are not just here to participate.
Now, four of the continent's most dominant teams are in the mix, and they're not just going for the experience. They're playing for serious money and long-overdue respect. The four African teams are guaranteed at least $9.55 million just for qualifying, which is more than double the $4 million prize for winning the African Champions League. The same applies to clubs from Asia, North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. In contrast, South America's clubs will all get $15.21 million for qualifying, and the European clubs will receive qualification payments from $12.81 million to $38.19 million.
A win in the group stage earns an additional $2 million; a draw, $1 million. The ultimate winner takes home $40 million.
Al Ahly, the most decorated club in Africa, opens against Inter Miami andLionel Messi. Espérance, back in the tournament for the first time since 2019, is drawn into a tough group with Chelsea, Flamengo, and LAFC. Wydad starts against Manchester City before facing Juventus and Al Ain. Sundowns will meet Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD, and Fluminense.
Espérance coach Maher Kanzarisays he expects his team to play its matches "with passion and enthusiasm. The most important thing is that we honor the shirt – both Espérance's colors and the name of Tunisia itself." FIFA president Gianni Infantino says the new tournament marks "a new era of football." That future includes Africa, but not equally. While UEFA sends 12 teams and CONMEBOL sends six, CAF gets just four. Hersi Said, chairman of the African Club Association, says that needs to change. "We need to push for more numbers in the next editions," he told the BBC. "It's a platform we need to showcase our potential."
Infographic showing the calendar of matches for the 32 teams participating in the Club World Cup football tournament, which takes place from June 14 to July 13, 2025, in the United States.
Photo by Guillermo Rivas Pacheco, Paz Pizarro/AFP via Getty Images
Back on the global stage
OkayAfrica caught up with Mamelodi Sundowns legends Hlompho Kekana, Tiyani Mabunda, and Teko Modise yesterday in New York City. The three were part of the Sundowns team that played in the 2016 Club World Cup. Yesterday, June 12, they took part in a rooftop four-a-side tournament that also featured teams representing Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.
"Unbelievable for us as Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa, to be right here again in the Club World Cup," Mabunda tells OkayAfrica. "This time, I'm coming to support the boys, just to give them that extra courage. Where they are now, it's a global stage."
Sundowns finished sixth out of seven in 2016. Now, with a stronger squad and deeper international experience, there are bigger expectations. "We do have a better team this time around," says Modise. "Look at the teams that are part of the Club World Cup. Those are teams that you normally never had an opportunity to play against. It's good for the boys to check themselves as to how far they are," he tells OkayAfrica.
More than a tournament
The expanded format doesn't just bring visibility. It brings questions. Can this global spotlight elevate African domestic leagues? Can it boost investment in infrastructure, training, and talent pipelines? Will the massive prize money filter back into African football systems, or will it simply serve as a payday for a few top-tier clubs?
The stakes are especially high for Sundowns. Backed byPatrice Motsepe, South African mining billionaire and President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Pretoria-based club has dominated the local Premier Soccer League for years. But success at home hasn't always translated to global recognition. "This is a great experience for the club," Kekana tells OkayAfrica. "It's a platform to showcase what they've got in Africa. The world will know more about South African football now."
For Kekana, the expanded tournament means one thing: opportunity. "The playing field is now leveled. The opportunities that the other teams got, we finally got them. It's about time that we show the world what we've got."
The Mamelodi Sundowns team thattook part in a rooftop four-a-side mini-tournament in New York City, ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Photo by Zee Ngema
Carrying the continent
The four African clubs aren't just representing their cities or countries. They carry the hopes of a continent that has long been underrepresented in global club football.
"African football is a conversation all over the world now," says Modise. "We've been internationally recognized, and to see many teams coming into the USA to represent Africa, it's dope. It's something that we've been fighting for."
Each former player OkayAfrica spoke with emphasized the importance of not just participating but also showing up and making a statement. "Play so that when you look back, you can say, I really enjoyed my time," Modise says. "These moments don't come often."
The bigger picture
For young Africans watching, four teams from the continent being in the tournament sends a clear message. Your dreams can go global, not just as a player but as part of a club making waves internationally. "African players have shown all over the world that we're good," says Kekana. "We've got talent. We've got what it takes to win a major tournament."
The next few weeks will reveal whether African clubs can not only compete but also dominate. Whether they advance or not, one thing is clear: they belong.
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