FIFA’s rejigged Club World Cup is a tournament which has divided football fans across the world.
The 2025 Club World Cup kicks off this summer, with 32 teams across all six federations meeting in the USA for a showdown of unparalleled scale.
While many have lamented the additional strain such a competition is putting on already crammed schedules and overworked players, others are chomping at the bit to see the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City go toe-to-toe with clubs such as Boca Juniors and Inter Miami.
John Terry: “These opportunities don’t come around every year, Chelsea have to take it”
Among those backing the revamped competition is John Terry, part of the Chelsea side which reached the 2012 Club World Cup Final, in its previous format, after winning that year’s Champions League title.
Terry, ranked at no.26 in FourFourTwo’s list of the greatest Premier League players of all time, was injured for the tournament itself, and recalls the FOMO he experienced watching as a fan.
“Even under the previous model, we certainly were up for it,” Terry tells FourFourTwo as an ambassador for DAZN. “We lost in the final, which hurt all of us.
“I remember watching the game from the physio room at Chelsea, but all of us who missed out wanted to be a part of it because we realised that it took winning the Champions League to earn the opportunity to go and play in the Club World Cup.
“Those opportunities don’t come around every year. So when it’s there, you have to go and embrace it and go and take it.”
Beyond the attraction of winning silverware, the 2005 PFA Player of the Year insists there are other huge benefits to taking part on offer to his former club this summer.
“Financially for the clubs, it’s a fantastic thing to participate in – there are tens of millions up for grabs in prize money,” says Terry. “It’s a big financial gain that could play a big part in Chelsea’s future or future signings.”
The size of Chelsea’s squad, which remains one of the largest in the Premier League due to huge spending by current owner Todd Boehly, means the tournament could also benefit individuals looking for chances to shine.
“Everyone knows Chelsea have a big squad,” explains Terry.
“We have an opportunity maybe for some younger players to go and go and produce on the world stage and show us what they’re made of. We have a big squad and plenty of players coming back from injury so this could be a springboard into next season as well.
“It could be a fantastic summer for Chelsea and all the other clubs taking part.”
