On Tuesday, FIFA announced that LAFC will take on Club América in a one-game play-in match to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. The match will be played Saturday, May 31, at BMO Stadium, with a 7:30 p.m. PT kickoff time, and will be broadcast on global sports streaming platform DAZN. The winner will automatically qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 as the fourth member of Group D, which also includes Chelsea FC (England), CR Flamengo (Brazil), and ES Tunis (Tunisia).
WHAT IS FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP?
The FIFA Club World Cup is a tournament in which 32 teams representing the six continental confederations compete to determine the world champion of club soccer. The 2025 field includes esteemed clubs such as Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint Germain, and Real Madrid, among others.
WHEN AND WHERE IS FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP?
The FIFA Club World Cup will take place from June 14 to July 13, at 12 venues across the United States, including the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles. The opening match between Inter Miami CF (United States) and Al Ahly FC (Egypt) will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on June 14. The final will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 13. No games will be played at BMO Stadium. The winner of the LAFC-América Play-In match will face Chelsea in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 16.
Tickets On Sale
LAFC hosts Club América at BMO Stadium for the last spot in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
HOW WAS LAFC SELECTED?
Club León of Liga MX originally qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup. FIFA judges, however, excluded León in a ruling in March, deciding that the clubs' ownership structure violated FIFA rules prohibiting more than one team having the same owners. (León and fellow Liga MX team Pachuca are both owned by Grupo Pachuca.)
In May, FIFA announced that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had rejected the appeals of that ruling, and that “the team to be admitted as a replacement for Club León will be determined through a play-off match between LAFC (runners-up to Club León in the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup) and Club América (top-ranked team in the FIFA Club World Cup confederation ranking at the conclusion of the 2024 edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the last season taken into account for clubs to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025).”
THE OPPONENT
One of Mexico’s most storied and most popular clubs, Club América (nicknamed Las Águilas [The Eagles]) is one of the founding members of Mexico’s top division and is one of only seven member clubs to have never been relegated.
Established in 1916, Club América has won more titles than any other team in Mexican football, including a record sixteen league titles, and seven Concacaf Champions Cup titles—more than any club in North America, Central America, or the Caribbean.
PRIOR MEETINGS
The match on May 31 marks the fourth time the two clubs’ will have met. LAFC defeated América in the 2020 Concacaf Champions League semifinals, then they met again met in the 2022 Leagues Cup Showcase, a friendly match played at SoFi Stadium that resulted in a 2-2 draw and a seven-round penalty shootout won by the América. LAFC defeated Las Águilas 2-1 on February 11 of this year, in a preseason friendly at BMO Stadium.
FAMILIAR FACE
Club América winger Brian Rodriguez, 24, played for LAFC from 2019 to 2022, appearing in 55 regular-season matches and registering eight goals and 12 assists for the Black & Gold. Rodríguez signed with América in August 2022.
