FIFA Club World Cup draw set for 5 December
The former Canada international, who earned 81 caps for his country, featured for a host of MLS (Major League Soccer) clubs during his career, including San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls and DC United.

MLS will be represented by Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 in the US, with the Sounders qualifying as 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup winners, and Miami securing the spot reserved for a team from the host nation on the back of lifting the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield.

The duo will join 30 more leading representatives of all six continental confederations for the tournament, which takes place between 15 June and 13 July, an event which the 46-year-old De Rosario would have loved to take part in.

The former forward told FIFA: “It’s unique to have all the champions of every region, every continent, to participate and compete against each other.

“It’s amazing to see how that has expanded and is coming here. And I think the local fans in North America get to [have] a little taste of what it’s going to be like come 2026 when the World Cup comes to the US. We are excited.

“I wish I could turn back the hands of time, because all these tournaments and games now – it’s amazing. I think it further builds the passion of the football fan. I think you are starting to see, with these tournaments, the fans are not [just] fans – they engage now.

“As you see in Mexico, they are very passionate. They eat, breathe (and) sleep football. You are starting to see that now in America, and you are starting to see that now in Canada, where the fans are coming and are really supporting the nation.

“I think it helps to grow Concacaf and the game across this region. It also gives opportunities for other regions in the Central American and in the Caribbean regions to showcase their talent. They have a great opportunity to see the world’s game come to their backyard.”

The 63-game tournament will be held in 12 different stadiums across the USA, with Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium the venue for the opening game and the final taking place at the iconic MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey. De Rosario confident the country is ready to put on a show.

“In MLS, we see the fans, we see the passion: 60,000 (or) 70,000 fans now. The stadiums [are] football stadiums now and the standard is high. I think we are up there now with a lot of the European stadiums now,” he said.

“And in terms of attendance and volume, I know that the US is ready to host such a tournament.

“I trust that it’s going to be a great fan experience, it’s going to be great for the player experience, and something that I’m really looking forward to watching and being a part of myself.”