The Yellow Wall will relocate to the USA while Borussia Dortmund competes in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The newly formatted tournament will see the best from around the world compete to be named the Club World Cup Champions and hold the moniker of best in the world.
Once the domestic season finishes, Dortmund will head stateside for the tournament which starts on Saturday, June 14th and lasts for just over a month, with the final taking place on Sunday, July 13th. Below we have pulled together all the information you would need to follow Dortmund while they are in the USA.
Schedule, fixtures and opponents
The 2025 Club World Cup has adopted a new format, now including 32 teams from around the world. The 32 teams were seeded and split into eight groups in a draw last December. Borussia Dortmund were drawn into Group F where they will play 2023 Copa Libertadores winners Fluminense, reigning K League champions Ulsan HD and South African giants Mamelodi Sundowns.
Dortmund’s campaign starts on Tuesday, June 17th against Fluminense at the MetLife Stadium in New York. They follow this game on Saturday, June 21st against Mamelodi Sundowns at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. Finally, Dortmund play Ulsan HD on Wednesday, June 25th at the TQL Stadium again.
Group stage match fixtures
Fluminense FC v Borussia Dortmund
Date: Tuesday, June 17th
Kick-off: 12pm EDT | 5pm GMT
Stadium: MetLife Stadium, New York (NY)
Mamelodi Sundowns FC v Borussia Dortmund
Date: Saturday, June 21st
Kick-off: 12pm EDT | 5pm GMT
Stadium: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati (OH)
Date: Wednesday, June 25th
Kick-off: 3pm EDT | 8pm GMT
Stadium: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati (OH)
Knockout stage match fixtures
Borussia Dortmund can qualify for the knockouts by finishing first or second in their group. The knockouts start in the round of 16, and each team will face a one-legged knockout tie against an opponent from another group depending on where they finished - the first-placed team from one group will play the second-placed team from another.
If Dortmund qualify for the knockouts, they will play the winners or runner-ups of Group E, which include CA River Plate from Argentina, Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds, Mexican side Monterrey and fellow European heavyweights Inter Milan.
Borussia Dortmund’s two potential Round of 16 ties
R16 Match 5: Group E winners vs. Group F runners-up
Date: Monday, June 30th
Kick-off: 4pm EDT | 8pm GMT
Stadium: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte (NC)
R16 Match 8: Group F winners vs. Group E runners-up
Date: Wednesday, July 2nd
Kick-off: 10pm EDT | 2am GMT (Thursday, July 3rd)
Stadium: Mercedez-Benz Stadium, Atlanta (GA)
Borussia Dortmund’s opponents for CWC 2025
Fluminense - Brazil
One of four Brazilian clubs who have qualified for the Club World Cup, legendary team Fluminense make their second appearance at the tournament this year. Fluminense qualified as winners of the 2023 Copa Libertadores, beating Argentina's Boca Juniors in extra time. This was Fluminense’s first ever Copa Libertadores win to add to the four league titles they have won in their history.
Ulsan HD - South Korea
Ulsan HD booked their spot via the AFC ranking pathway. Over the past four years, the South Korean team have performed well in the AFC Champions League, reaching the semifinals in two of the last four editions. The only team from the Korean Republic at the 2025 Club World Cup, they have won the K League title five times, most recently in 2024.
Mamelodi Sundowns - South Africa
Mamelodi Sundowns earned their place at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup through the CAF ranking pathway. In the past four years in the CAF Champions League, the Yellow Nation reached the quarter-finals and semi-finals twice apiece. They are the most successful football club in the South African PSL era having won the league title 17 times since 1988.
TV coverage: Where to watch Borussia Dortmund at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?
All 63 matches in the Club World Cup will be shown exclusively live on DAZN. DAZN has decided to air every single 2025 Club World Cup fixture for free, meaning fans of Dortmund can follow their team at no extra cost.
As DAZN holds full broadcasting rights, the London-based entertainment platform can sub-license matches to free-to-air TV channels. Alternatively, Dortmund fans can watch all of their team's games online or by downloading the DAZN App onto their smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, or game consoles.
Expected lineup: Borussia Dortmund's squad list for CWC 2025
Teams involved in the Club World Cup will be given special dispensation to conduct transfer activity a fortnight in advance of the tournament. This means that European teams like Borussia Dortmund will start their transfer window on June 1st rather than June 12th like it is for all other UEFA-affiliated clubs. The controversial move means Dortmund could field new players for the tournament, adding potential excitement to the new players involved.
The Premier League have reacted to this move and changed their window to open for all teams at the same time. Their window will now open from June 1st to June 10th and then close for five days before reopening on June 16th. The Bundesliga have announced that they will also have an additional transfer window to coincide with the Club World Cup transfer window.
Players whose contracts would be up during the Club World Cup will be allowed to stay and play for their teams until the tournament's culmination so teams do not lose players half way through.
Dortmund’s American midfielder Gio Reyna recently said the club’s goal is “for sure, trying to win it,” believing that the team can “put on a good performance” and “make a deep run.” Reyna is set to be one of the stars for Dortmund as he will be playing on home soil, being a big draw for American fans.
It is yet to be seen who may be coming in to join the Dortmund squad in the summer, but some rumours have already surfaced about a potential second return to the club by Jadon Sancho. There have also been rumours around Dutch starlet Ezechiel Banzuzi who plays for Belgium side OH Leuven.
Dortmund's Potential Club World Cup squad
Goalkeepers
Gregor Kobel, Alexander Meyer
Defenders
Waldemar Anton, Ramy Bensebaini, Yan Couto, Almugera Kabar, Yannik Luhrs, Julian Ryerson, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Sule
Midfielders
Ayman Azhil, Julian Brandt, Emre Can, Carney Chukwuemeka, Pascal Gross, Felix Nmecha, Salih Ozcan, Gio Reyna, Marcel Sabitzer, Daniel Svensson, Kjell Watjen
Forwards
Karim Adeyemi, Maximilian Beier, Cole Campbell, Julien Duranville, Jamie Gittens, Serhou Guirassy
Players to watch
The pacy forward is a weapon of a dribbler when he gets up to full flow. He had a lot of attention for his signature in January, and that looks set to happen again in the summer. The forward’s pace is dangerous against any opponent, but he also has the ability to finish moves well and set up his teammates.
Nmech has been one of Dortmund’s standout players in what is a disappointing season overall. He can operate as a central or defensive midfielder showing great versatility in his play. He is calm on the ball and intelligent with his distribution which has seen rumours circling about a potential move in the summer for him too.
Jamie Gittens has been a breakout star this year for Dortmund, really showing his skills as a tricky winger and forward. He has bagged seven goals in the Bundesliga and four in the Champions League. His pace and dribbling make him an exciting watch, and he can be an unstoppable force at times.
Winner odds: What are Dortmund’s chances of winning this year?
Borussia Dortmund are not one of the favourites to win the 2025 edition of the Club World Cup. They are expected to get through their group but are only down at 22/1 to win the tournament outright on Paddy Power.
Paddy Power have Real Madrid as favourites, with the world-famous club down at 7/2. They are followed by Manchester City at 9/2, Bayern Munich at 11/2 and then Chelsea at 17/2.
How did Dortmund qualify for the 2025 tournament?
Borussia Dortmund qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup via the ranking pathway based on their performances in the tournament over the past four years. They were runner-ups in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League and are one of 12 European teams in the tournament.
Dortmund’s 2025 Club World Cup kit
Dortmund have not announced a special kit for the Club World Cup at the time of writing. It is yet to see if they will wear their kit for the 2024/25 season, a new kit for the 2025/26 season, or release a special kit.
Has Borussia Dortmund ever won the Club World Cup before?
This will be Borussia Dortmund’s first-ever appearance at the Club World Cup. The club have won the UEFA Champions League before, but that was in the 1996/97 season, which was before the tournament had debuted.