Now that he has had a taste of it, Jordan Morris is hungry to return to the FIFA Club World Cup™.

Morris was part of the Seattle Sounders team that made history by becoming the first team from Major League Soccer (MLS) to participate in a Club World Cup when they played in the 2022 edition, falling to Al Ahly of Egypt in the quarter-finals. But a fresh opportunity awaits at the new FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ in which Seattle will be one of 32 teams vying for the global crown.

The timing and format of the event could work in the Sounders’ favour. Morris and Co delivered a strong performance in the 2023 Leagues Cup, a mid-season tournament between all the teams from MLS and Liga MX that is played in a World Cup-style format.

Next year’s Club World Cup falls around the same time on the calendar and will begin with a group stage and then knockouts. All of that means optimism abounds for the Sounders, and Morris told FIFA that they are dreaming of a match-up against one of Europe’s giants.

What does it mean to you that Seattle have qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025?
Jordan Morris: It’s a big honour. Having played in one before and being the first MLS team to play in that tournament is pretty special. It was amazing, but we didn’t get the result that we wanted and we felt like we could have had a better performance in that game against Al Ahly and gone on to have an amazing opportunity to play against Real Madrid. To have another opportunity at it is exciting. To know that it has expanded and that the competition level is incredible, we’re looking forward to having a group stage and hopefully getting out of that and progressing and doing well in the tournament. It’s another really exciting opportunity for the club.

Are you all feeling a lot of excitement already about the tournament?
Yes, it’s definitely been talked about. It’s hard though because the team will look a little bit different next year. But guys are definitely excited and there’s just a buzz around soccer in this city with the World Cup coming here in 2026. There’s a lot to look forward to here in Seattle.

Do you think the World Cup format used in Leagues Cup will help you be ready for the Club World Cup?
I think it will. It’s a similar style of tournament. We were coming right out of preseason when we played in our last Club World Cup, so guys were maybe not quite as a sharp as they are halfway through the season. I felt that if maybe the tournament had been in the middle of the season, we could have had a better performance. That’s not an excuse, but having this tournament in the middle of our season is going to be great for us because that’s when guys are hitting their stride and feeling good. I think you saw that in our performances in Leagues Cup against Pumas and LA Galaxy. For us, the timing of this tournament will be beneficial.

Do you like the format of this Club World Cup?
I do. I think it’s great. Last time we weren’t able to win that first game and it was disappointing to have such a big build-up and big excitement level for the Club World Cup and then have it end after one game. I think having the opportunity to play a few games for sure and having that goal of getting out of the group stage and not have such an emphasis on one game will be good. You’re guaranteed three games and hopefully some knockout games as well. I like that style and hopefully we have an opportunity to play against some of those great opponents and measure ourselves against different clubs who we normally wouldn’t play against.

Who would be a dream opponent for you in the Club World Cup?
Real Madrid. Guys were excited about the chance of playing against them last time and it didn’t work out. We were close to that opportunity and were itching to play against them. So playing Real Madrid, who are a massive club, would be pretty cool.

What does it say about the Sounders that they are the only MLS team currently qualified for the tournament?
It’s special and it shows the quality that we have. It’s a bit of a different group than the one who won the Concacaf Champions Cup in 2022, but it shows how difficult it is to win that tournament. Los Angeles FC and Columbus came close and weren’t able to win it, so we should be super proud about being the first team that’s done that, that will have played in a Club World Cup twice. Not many players in their career get to do that once, so we need to embrace that and enjoy that opportunity.