Since the first game ended, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has made headlines in many circles, not only because of the games but also due to unexpected rule changes that impact the qualification of teams. For the first time for FIFA, there is now a mechanism to break ties.
Although the first method to separate teams is still "on goal difference," FIFA's new tiebreaking method will be to use the head-to-head result before the goal difference.
This application of rules/rules change has now altered Group A's standings as Inter Miami now leads Palmeiras. Since Leo Messi's Inter Miami won 2–1 when facing FC Porto, this now means Inter Miami has the first advantage to win a tiebreaker against its other competitors in the group.
While the rules are "seeming" to encourage a greater focus on head-to-head fixtures, this also brings some new pressure to teams to perform against direct rivals, as one more failure will now hurt that team much more than any previous time to this point of the tournament.
While teams/players are figuring out how to mitigate the consequences of the new rules, the tournament was also faced with unexpected weather delay drama. In Group C's match between Palmeiras and Al Ahly, lightning forced officials to stop the playing of the match at the 62-minute mark.
Officials then proceeded to evacuate the stadium for approximately 30-minutes. When the match resumed, Palmeiras were still ahead 2-0.
Joshua Kimmich is the only player to complete 100+ final third passes at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
— Squawka (@Squawka) June 23, 2025
121 final third passes attempted, 104 completed. 🎯#FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/vgNKWm5q8p
High Temperatures Raise Health Concerns as Tournament Moves Forward
The matches have given sports fans great theatre, but extreme heat is presenting a major challenge, even away from the match. Cities like Miami, Pasadena and Los Angeles (with high humidity) have seen temperatures approaching 32°C (89°F) in the day, leading to concerns around the health of players and match times.
In common with many other officials, the global player's union (FIFPRO) have asked FIFA to think about alterations to the kick-off times (earlier or later) and simply longer cooling breaks.
So far, FIFA has stood firm on its schedule, stating that the health +- safety measures they currently have in place are adequate. In the meantime many teams are taking a cautious approach, encouraging players to secure ample water during the match day itself and keep strenuous exercise to a minimum, other than in games.
Coaches have also been rotating players more frequently to stave off fatigue and the risk of injuries associated with heat.
Tournament attendance is encouragingly high even in the heat. FIFA have sold about 1.5 million tickets to date. The crowd for the opening match in Miami was about 60,000 and an earlier match at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena drew a crowd of 80,000.
In terms of crowd numbers, and a swelling body of global interest in the sport, the challenge of heat does not seem to be affecting the popularity of the tournament.
If the tournament progresses into the knockout stages as scheduled, both
