Sami Khedira enjoyed a highly decorated club and international career, but even he admits playing in the Mundial de Clubes FIFA 25™ would have been a special moment to savour. Players from 32 teams from all corners of the globe will be able to live that very experience when the new tournament is played in the United States in June and July 2025. In a career capped by a memorable FIFA World Cup™ victory with Germany in 2014, Khedira won a wide variety of trophies during a stellar career with Stuttgart, Real Madrid and Juventus. “I would have loved the opportunity to play in a FIFA Club World Cup like this as a player, but now I’m more involved as a spectator and a fan,” said Khedira. “I think the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup is a really good thing because a lot of different teams from different continents will be coming together. You have seen the reaction, especially in Germany, where the Borussia Dortmund fans are very happy that they have qualified and will be taking part, which is richly deserved after their success over the last few years.”

The competition is part of FIFA’s Strategic Objectives for the 2023-2027 cycle and recognises that many regions need more competitive football. Former midfielder Khedira is looking forward to seeing the quality and variety offered by participating clubs from all six confederations. “It will be a high-level competition so I think it will be useful as it will give a wide range of teams from a wide range of continents the chance to test themselves against each other,” said the FIFA Legend.

“You see how great it is at FIFA World Cups when you play against South American, Asian or African teams and you have to prepare differently,” said Khedira, recalling the experience of playing at three FIFA World Cups, and also the FIFA Club World Cup 2014™ won by his Real Madrid side. “It is a FIFA World Cup at club level as its name suggests. “FIFA unites the world. Clubs obviously have to take care of their domestic leagues and look out for their own employees but FIFA has to bring everyone together and, as I say, when you bring the best teams from different continents together, there is a different level.”