LAFC vs Club America, 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Play-In Round – Preview, Prediction, Lineups and How to Watch

The playoff game between Liga MX giants Club America and Major League Soccer side LAFC will take place at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The winner of this year’s FIFA Club World Cup will get the final position, therefore, the stakes are quite high. In an attempt to win the Liga MX for a record-breaking fourth time in a row, Club America is getting ready to play Toluca. In the meantime, LAFC has 22 points from 14 matches and is now ranked 5th in the Western Conference.

Los Angeles FC and Club America will face off at the BMO Stadium on Sunday for the final position in Group D of the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup. Both teams will try to capitalize on Club Leon’s misfortune, as the Mexican team was ousted from the competition for failing to meet the rules for multi-club ownership due to CF Pachuca’s involvement.

Due to Club Leon’s exclusion from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Major League Soccer outfit Los Angeles FC will meet Liga MX giants Club America in Los Angeles in a play-in match for a position at the 32-team competition.

The forthcoming game will mark LAFC and Club América’s fourth meeting. In their three previous meetings with America—two of which were official games and one of which was a friendly—LAFC has won two of them thus far.

The winner of this match will advance to Group D, where they will play the English team Chelsea, the Brazilian team CR Flamengo, and the Tunisian team Esperance Sportive de Tunis in the FIFA Club World Cup group stage.

Los Angeles FC and Liga MX giants Club America will face off in a thrilling match on May 31 at BMO Stadium, with the last golden ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 up for grabs. More than just pride is at stake in this playoff game since the winner gets to play for part of the $1 billion prize pool and earn a place in one of football’s most prominent club championships.

For LAFC, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to compete on the global stage alongside competitor MLS clubs Inter Miami and the Seattle Sounders. Club America will be eager to regain its position among the world’s elite in the meantime.

Kick-off date/time: Sunday, June 1, 2025: 8:00 am

How to watch: UK – DAZN / US – DAZN

Why is the LAFC vs Club America FIFA Club World Cup Playoff Match Happening?

LAFC and Club America will face off in a playoff to determine who will replace Club Leon in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Interestingly, Club Leon was excluded from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup after it was discovered that Leon had violated the rules on teams with the same ownership participating in the same competition.

FIFA announced a one-off playoff between LAFC and Club America to choose Leon’s replacement in the expanded Club World Cup. Since Club America has a clear schedule and the game takes place immediately after the Liga MX Clausura 2025 season ends, the date is ideal. LAFC will cram this important game into their already packed schedule.

LAFC vs Club America FIFA Club World Cup Playoff Match Schedule

On May 31, 2025, LAFC and Liga MX giants Club America are going to face off in the World Cup Playoff Match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California. FIFA was unable to find a stadium that would meet the necessary capacity and logistical requirements, therefore, the playoff game was moved from a neutral location to Los Angeles.

Date: May 31, 2025
Kick-off Time: 7.30 pm PT / 10.30 pm ET / 3.30 am (Saturday) BST
Venue: BMO Stadium
City: Los Angeles, California

What’s at Stake?

In addition to earning a coveted spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the winner of Saturday’s play-in match between LAFC and Club America will also get a guaranteed payout of at least US$10 million from the tournament’s US$1 billion prize pool. With the chance to get a bigger share of the big prize, that number may rise dramatically with a strong run in the competition.

The stakes are really high. The winner will join Group D of the 32-team Club World Cup, replacing Club Leon, who were eliminated because of rules governing multi-club ownership. Chelsea (England), CR Flamengo (Brazil), and ES Tunis (Tunisia) are currently in Group D.

Where Can I Watch the LAFC vs Club America FIFA CWC Playoff Match?

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be televised on DAZN. All 63 games will be streamed live and without charge everywhere in the world. This includes the free DAZN broadcast of the LAFC vs. Club America play-off qualifier on May 31.

You can watch this match live on the following platforms:

Global Streaming Rights: 2025 FIFA Club World Cup matches will be streamed exclusively on the DAZN app and website.

FIFA+: Live coverage and on-demand highlights will be available on FIFA’s own platform.

TNT Sports and YouTube TV: Available in selected regions

For American viewers, TelevisaUnivision provides coverage in both Spanish and English.

How Can I Watch LAFC vs Club America on TV?

TV Channel/Live Stream

United Kingdom: DAZN

United States: DAZN, TNT, Univision

Canada: DAZN

Mexico: DAZN, Canal 5, TUDN, ViX

LAFC vs Club America Predicted Lineups

LAFC Predicted Lineup vs. Club America

LAFC Predicted Lineup vs. Club America (4-3-3): Lloris; Palencia, Long, Segura, Hollingshead; Amaya, Jesus, Delgado; Ordaz, Ebobisse, Bouanga

Club America Predicted Lineup vs. LAFC

Club America Predicted Lineup vs. LAFC (5-3-2): Malagón; Álvarez, Reyes, Cáceres, Juárez, Borja; Dos Santos, Sánchez, Fidalgo; Zendejas, Aguirre

LAFC vs Club America Prediction

Since their inaugural MLS season in 2019, Los Angeles FC has been a tremendously successful team, winning the Western Conference three times, two Supporters’ Shields, and one MLS Cup. Under Steve Cherundolo’s leadership, they are among the best teams in North America despite having finished second in the CONCACAF Champions Cup twice.

They take on a Club America team that has been dominating Liga MX for some time, winning the 2023 and 2024 Apertura titles as well as the 2024 Clausura title. However, they were runners-up in this season’s Clausura, coming in just behind Toluca. Although they have won the CONCACAF Champions Cup seven times, Andre Jardine’s Eagles haven’t done so since 2016.

Both of these teams are capable of winning a spot in the first expanded FIFA Club World Cup this summer, but since LAFC has home advantage and America is still in shock from their two-leg final loss to Toluca, it would seem that supporting LAFC is the best course of action in this match.

The duel between the two teams is going to be fierce. The winning team will get the opportunity to play in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. In the qualifying play-in match, Los Angeles FC is probably going to win against Club America.

On paper, it looks like a thrilling clash between two of the top teams in the region in one of the most important matches in the MLS vs. Liga MX rivalry to date.

Both sides will probably start the game carefully, assessing their opponent and attempting to establish dominance. Both teams will start to have scoring opportunities as the minutes pass.

Nevertheless, Club América might win after trading blows. Perhaps the most important factor will be Jardine’s long history of great knockout-stage game ideas. With their strong and seasoned defensive line, América is ready to frustrate LAFC. The Alvaro Zendejas–Alvaro Fidalgo combination will be hard to contain for the full ninety minutes, especially if Martín is healthy enough to play in the second half.

The team with the most wins in Liga MX and Concacaf Champions Cup history is ultimately the favorite to win the most costly match in North American soccer history and earn the last ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.