History of the Club World Cup and BVB's role
Organised for the first time as the FIFA Club World Cup with 32 participants in 2025, the tournament has a history stretching back decades. We take a look back at the history of the intercontinental showdown in club football, with a special focus on the role BVB have played in the past.
First held in 1960
In 1930, the first football World Cup winners were crowned when hosts Uruguay defeated Argentina 4-2 in the final. After the Second World War, the popularity of football continued to grow, and Henri Delaunay, then UEFA General Secretary, came up with the idea that club teams should also compete on an intercontinental level.
The establishment of the Copa Campeones de América in 1960 (later the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the UEFA Champions League) paved the way for a head-to-head showdown between the best European and South American clubs. Back in 1960, Peñarol and Real Madrid met for the first leg of the Intercontinental Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay – a 0-0 draw in the first leg was followed by a 5-1 triumph for the Spaniards in the return match in Madrid. In the following years a further 17 matches were played in a two-leg format.
Single final match since 1980, BVB's title win in 1997
In 1980, the final switched to a single match, held in Tokyo, Japan – still being a duel between Europe and South America's best teams.
Borussia Dortmund's name is also immortalised in the annals of this competition: on 2 December 1997, in front of 51,514 spectators at Tokyo's Olympic Stadium, BVB triumphed 2-0 over Brazilian side Cruzeiro, who had brought in three Brazil internationals - Bebeto, Donizete and Goncalves - especially for the match. Michael Zorc and Heiko Herrlich scored the winning goals for the Black & Yellows.
Format change in 2000
In 2000 (when Real Madrid met Boca Juniors from Argentina in Tokyo), FIFA experimented in parallel in Brazil with a new format called the “Club World Cup” and now seven participants: the six winners from the confederations and a representative from the host country.
Since 2005, the venues have included Japan, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. The last final of this kind was won by Manchester City in December 2023 against Fluminense Rio de Janeiro with a score of 4-0. The record winners are Real Madrid with eight titles, followed by AC Milan and Bayern Munich (four each).
New tournament since 2025
Since 2025, the FIFA Club World Cup was harmonised with the World Cup tournament for national teams in terms of format and staging cycle (every four years). 32 teams take part, initially divided into eight groups of four teams. The top two teams reach the round of 16. From here, the competition continues in knockout mode until the final: in which the winning team has the honour of lifting the trophy made of 24-carat gold-plated aluminium.
The FIFA Club World Cup takes place every four years in its new format. The previous competition, in which the winners of the six continental championships meet, will continue to be held annually, now under the name “FIFA Intercontinental Cup”.