FIFA president Infantino promises 'the world will be welcomed' as Club World Cup preps for US debut

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Take a look at Ticketmaster or most secondary market websites this week and there are plenty of seats still available at various stadiums for this year's Club World Cup in the United States.

No, not the World Cup. The “FIFA Club World Cup 2025.”

It's an international soccer tournament designed to bring together 32 professional teams from around the world with matches in 11 American cities, including Philadelphia. Lincoln Financial Field will host six group stage matches, a round-of-16 match, and, per FIFA, “a highly anticipated quarterfinals match” on July 4.

In fact, while FIFA President Gianni Infantino promoted the tournament — a pair of Lombardi Trophies for the Philadelphia Eagles behind him — he alternated between Spanish and English and at one point turned to American reporters to say, “Buy tickets. There are still a few available.”

Whether you call it soccer or call it football, the sport is coming to the U.S. this year, in part to promote next year's real deal World Cup. Next year's tournament, with 48 national teams for the first time, also will be played at various NFL stadiums, as well as in Canada and Mexico. FIFA plans to spread the wealth of staging the warm-up event, pledging on Thursday $1 million to each of the 11 cities that will host Club World Cup matches this summer.

“Everyone thinks that the country winning their own national or continental competition is the best in the world,” Infantino said, referring to tournaments like the Champions League and Copa Libertadores. “But that's actually not the case. So we decided to create a real World Cup for teams.”

This year's revamped and expanded tournament is set to start on June 15 and run through July 13, with the final set for New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium — also the site of the 2026 World Cup final. FIFA announced earlier this year a $1 billion broadcast deal with DAZN for broadcast rights to this summer's Club World Cup.

Two American teams are confirmed for this year's tournament: Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders.

Twelve teams from Europe will be included in the Club World Cup: Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto, Real Madrid and Salzburg.

Other teams that have qualified are Boca Juniors, Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras and River Plate from South America; Leon, Monterrey and Pachuca from North America; Al Ahly, Esperance, Mamelodi Sundowns and Wydad from Africa; Al-Hilal, Al Ain, Ulsan and Urawa from Asia; and Auckland City from Oceania.

“I don't have any concerns about ticket sales,” Infantino said. “We'll have full stadiums in America. If in America you fill soccer stadiums for friendly games, then when you come with a World Cup and the best players to win a competition ... we'll have to promote it, we'll have to present it, we'll have to explain it to the people. That's what we are doing. But it's a celebration of soccer and the stadiums will be full and fans will be coming from all over the world.”

The current U.S. political climate could be enough to scare off fans from traveling overseas for the games. Infantino met with President Donald Trump last month in the Oval Office to hype this event — and next year's true main event.

“The world loves America, whatever some might say,” Infantino said.

Infantino said he received assurances from the White House that any foreign fans would be in good hands during their time in the United States. The FIFA president met this week with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel at the FIFA office in Miami to map out a security plan and any potential issues with international fans traveling to the U.S. on visas.

“It's absolutely crucial that we have this collaboration,” Infantino said. “This never would have been possible some years ago with the image that FIFA had. We came back a long way. Today, we work in a clear way, in a transparent way, in an ethical way. We'll bring the world to the United States of America. These are the guarantees the United States government signed at the time of the bidding, and reconfirmed of course. The world will be welcomed.”

Eagles wide receiver and Super Bowl champion AJ Brown hit the Linc to promote the event but noted he never played much soccer beyond the FIFA videogame. He said he planned to attend his first soccer matches this summer — a first-time fan, just like FIFA hoped would attend the summer extravaganza.

“I always heard great things,” Brown said.

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino poses with a Philadelphia Eagles NFL football jersey while next to the trophy at a welcoming event for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Fans pose with the trophy at a welcoming event for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

Philadelphia Eagles NFL football player A.J. Brown takes a selfie as he poses with the trophy at a welcoming event for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino looks on at a welcoming event for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks to the media at a welcoming event for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks to the media at a welcoming event for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, left, and Philadelphia Eagles NFL football player A.J. Brown, left, pose with an Eagles jersey during a welcoming event for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (Jose F. Moreno/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, talks with Philadelphia Eagles NFL football player A.J. Brown, left, at a welcoming event for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks to the media at a welcoming event for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tournament, Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)