- FIFA has confirmed the new format of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
- The new format will involve more teams from across Europe and across other continents
- Here is how teams qualify for the event and which teams have already booked their slot
The UEFA Champions League is widely regarded as the ultimate achievement in club football, representing the pinnacle of success.
When Pep Guardiola finally lifted the coveted trophy in 2023, he expressed his admiration, stating that winning the Champions League is incredibly challenging and seemingly impossible. However, FIFA views the Champions League as a mere qualifying tournament for the real prize.
In the same month when Manchester City achieved the remarkable feat of winning the European treble, FIFA announced further details about the revamped Club World Cup set to take place in 2025. FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the reimagined tournament, featuring 32 teams, as the epitome of top-tier professional men’s club football.
Here, we provide you with all the essential information about this upcoming colossal competition that is set to make waves in the footballing world.
When is the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?
Although the specific dates for the revamped tournament have yet to be finalized, FIFA has announced that the event will occur in June 2025.
In contrast to the existing Club World Cup format, which is traditionally held during the winter months in the northern hemisphere, the new tournament will align with the summer schedule every four years, mirroring the timing of the international World Cup.
The upcoming 2023 Club World Cup, marking the last edition of the competition in its current form, is scheduled to take place from December 12 to December 22, 2023, in Saudi Arabia.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed the new format of the FIFA Club World Cup set to start in 2025. | PHOTO: Sky |
How Clubs Qualify for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
The 2025 Club World Cup is set to feature representatives from all six FIFA Confederations, ensuring a diverse range of teams.
UEFA will contribute 12 clubs to the tournament, consisting of the four winners of the Champions League between 2021 and 2024, along with eight teams determined by a club ranking system based on the same four-year period.
CONMEBOL, representing South America, will have six slots allocated to them. This includes the four champions of the Copa Libertadores from 2021 to 2024, as well as the two highest-ranked clubs during that time frame.
The champions of the respective continental competitions – CONCACAF (North, Central America, and Caribbean), AFC (Asia), and CAF (Africa) – between 2021 and 2024 will each secure a place in the Club World Cup.
OFC (Oceania) will have one guaranteed participant, determined not by a continental competition but by an undisclosed ranking system that evaluates each team’s performance from 2021 to 2024.
The host country, in this case, the USA, will be granted the final slot in the tournament. The criteria for determining this wildcard entry is yet to be disclosed.
In the event that a club wins their confederation’s Champions League more than once during the 2021-2024 period, the additional spot will be filled by the next highest-ranked club from that association.
Clubs that have qualified for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
The event has so far confirmed three teams as qualified teams. The three teams are Premier League sides Chelsea and Manchester City and La Liga giants Real Madrid.
All three have won the UEFA Champions League in the last three years.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login