The "Who Cares" Cup - Part 3

The “Who Cares” Cup – Part 3

In which we discover the where, as venues for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup are announced.

October 1, 2024

The Stage Is Set

Our FIFA overlords have anointed the chosen venues that will host the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. I would have used an Arthurian Knights of the Round Table analogy here, except FIFA is no Camelot, Infantino is no King Arthur and knights are supposed to embody honor, humility and bravery – qualities that none of these tawdry chapels to sports/marketing lucre come two clicks of a hallowed-out-coconut close to.

FIFA executive (and assistant) en route to the Sep. 28th venue announcement

The venues are (from north to south, east to west):

MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.)
- Also a World Cup 2026 host
- Will host the final on July 13, 2025
Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
- Also a World Cup 2026 host
TQL Stadium (Cincinnati)
Audi Field (Washington, D.C.)
Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.)
Geodis Park (Nashville, Tenn.)
Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
- Also a World Cup 2026 host
Inter&Co Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)
Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Fla.)
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami)
- Also a World Cup 2026 host
Lumen Field (Seattle)
- Also a World Cup 2026 host
Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
- I would like the record to show that if any venue comes close to the ideal of knighthood, it would be this grand old dame, which continues to eschew the corporate naming payout.

I’m all for keeping tournaments within a reasonable geo-proximity to ease climate impact and greenhouse emissions, but that list is awfully east coast heavy. If it wasn’t for the fact that the Seattle Sounders qualified for this thing, and the LA basin is home to millions of (wealthy by global standards) soccer fanatics, I believe FIFA would have stiffed the west coast entirely.

And did anyone even give consideration to the weather? Has anyone from FIFA been to Florida in June? It sucks. Really, really, really sucks. Actually, for that matter, every city in the middle eight of that list is pretty awful that time of year.

Of course, a global entity with such a sterling reputation for humanitarian concern such as FIFA… hold it… even I don’t buy that drivel. FIFA could give a rat’s fart about climatological concerns when making its decisions. My evidence? I present to you: Qatar, the 2030 World Cup on three continents, and the 2034 Saudi-hosted World Cup. Mic dropped.

And in Other News

FIFA also dropped the new official poster. There’s a lot happening here, and I cannot help but notice that the two largest players depicted are also the front-runners for the Ballon d’Or (coming soon to an overhyped media circus near you on October 28). Subtle.

Last, but most certainly not least, there’s the tournament motto: “Take it to the World.” I’m just gonna leave it on that note, and we can circle back later to unpack it.

More on the FIFA World Cup

Part 1 of our hard-hitting (the ‘s’ is silent) exposè.

Part 2 hits just as hard (and silently).