Peter Shalulile will have a special reason to savour the moment when he takes part in the inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup™: the Mamelodi Sundowns FC forward will be the first player from Namibia to take part in a senior first-tier FIFA tournament. "It's a massive achievement, wishing for many more Namibians to reach that stage, because it’s possible," said Shalulile, who has played at two CAF Africa Cup of Nations tournaments for Namibia and captained the side which beat Tunisia 1-0 in 2024 to claim their first-ever win in the competition. "Because if I can go there, it means that anything is possible. If you want to achieve it, it’s there for you to go out and achieve it.

"(Namibians are) excited, waiting on that day where it’s going to kick off, sat in their homes, glued to the TV screens, waiting to see their boy doing well in the FIFA (Club) World Cup," he added, looking forward to his team’s Group F games against Ulsan HD (17 June), Borussia Dortmund (21 June) and Fluminense FC (25 June). The FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, to be played from Saturday, 14 June to Sunday, 13 July in the United States, will be the most competitive and inclusive in global football, bringing together the best talents from every continent to decide the true FIFA world club champion.

The tournament will open the doors for players like Shalulile, who come from countries that have never appeared at a FIFA World Cup™ for national teams. Of the 81 countries which will have players at the tournament, 22 - Albania, Armenia, Burkina Faso, Congo, Dominican Republic, Gabon, Georgia, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Luxembourg, Mali, Montenegro, Mozambique, Namibia, Palestine, Syria, Tanzania, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zimbabwe - have never played at a FIFA World Cup. This is despite many of those countries - such as Mali which will be represented by eight players -- producing a regular supply of talent for clubs abroad. Denis Bouanga, of Los Angeles Football Club, will be representing Gabon and scored the goal which gave the MLS club a 2-1 win over Club América in their play-in match to claim the final slot at the tournament.

"For me, it was a magic moment, and the best goal in my career in terms of emotions. When I saw the ball go in, I had goosebumps," said Bouanga, who was born in France and played for Lorient, Nîmes and Saint-Étienne in Ligue 1 before joining Los Angeles Football Club in 2022. "It felt so good to see the entire stadium erupt and see my family happy too. Seeing a whole squad come together, drawing the game level, then scoring this goal that meant we qualified, was a really unique and unforgettable moment for me. "I’m very proud to take part in this major tournament, which brings together the 32 best clubs in the world. However, to me, it wasn’t a matter of qualifying narrowly. It was a final; we won it, and it’s wonderful for Los Angeles." In all, 80 countries have taken part in the FIFA World Cup throughout its history, one less than the number represented at the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup.

Venezuela are among those without a FIFA World Cup appearance so far, but they will be represented by six players in the United States, including Telasco Segovia, a midfielder with Inter Miami CF. “He’s a player who, clearly, has very good technique, has quality, works hard too, when it comes to defending, and, above all, what I stress most about him is his link-up play,” said Inter Miami CF coach Javier Mascherano. “He’s a player who really likes to link up with his team-mates, tries to, with his passing, really connect with his team-mates.”