The beloved FIFA Club World Cup will have a revamp and feature a newly formatted tournament. FIFA, the governing body for the international contest, announced a reorganised format that will start with the 2025 iteration of the tournament.
The plans to give the tournament format a facelift were given thought as early as 2016, when FIFA president Gianni Infantino suggested expanding the tournament to cater to more teams. But the suggested plans were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the middle of 2023, FIFA confirmed that the host of the 2025 Club World Cup will be the United States as a preface for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“Clubs play a fundamental role in world football, and the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be a major milestone in providing clubs from all confederations with a fitting stage on which to shine at the highest level of the game,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
The most glaring change is the expansion of the tournament to 32 teams, but first, let’s take a step back as SBOTOP takes you on a deep dive into how qualification for the Club World Cup works and which teams have actually secured their tickets to the illustrious event.
How to qualify for the Club World Cup?
Starting in 2025, 32 teams will participate, then be divided into four groups of eight. The top two teams from each group will go on to advance to the round of 16 in knockout matches.
Among the 32 available slots, UEFA was granted the most slots with 12, while CONMEBOL was given the second most with six. The AFC, CAF, and CONCACAF were all awarded four slots, while the OFC and the host association were given one slot each.
For UEFA and CONMEBOL, the winners of the confederation’s top club competition from 2021 to 2024 will be granted a slot, with additional teams to be determined by a club ranking within the four-year period between 2021 and 2024.
For AFC, CONCACAF, and AFC, who all have four slots each, the winners of the confederation’s top club competition from 2021–2024 will be awarded slots in the Club World Cup.
Meanwhile, for OFC, the single slot will be given to the highest-ranked club among the winners of the confederation’s top club competition between 2021 and 2024.
Lastly, the slot for the host country will be determined at a later stage.
Note that if a club wins two or more seasons in their domestic league between 2021-2024, additional outfits will be determined by a club ranking during the four-year period.
Qualified participants thus far:
UEFA: the reigning Club World Cup champions Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Juventus, Porto, Benfica, and Red Bull Salszburg.
CONMEBOL: Palmeiras, Fluminense, Flamengo, Winners of the 2024 Copa Libertadores, TBC, TBC
CONCACAF: Monterrey, Seattle Sounders, Leon, Winners of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions League
CAF: Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca, Winners of the 2023–24 CAF Champions League, TBC
AFC: Al Hilal, 2023 semifinalists Urawa Red Diamonds, Winners of the 2023–24 AFC Champions League, Ulsan HD
CONCACAF (host): TBC
To say that it will be a stacked tournament would be an understatement, and it’ll surely be difficult to determine the Club World Cup 2025 odds favourites, but title holders Manchester City should definitely be considered.
Notable clubs that didn’t make the cut are Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona, RB Leipzig, AC Milan, Napoli, etc. The absence of numerous prominent clubs from the tournament sparks concerns about the allure of the international tournament.
“With the best will in the world, Manchester City and Chelsea aren’t Manchester United and Liverpool when it comes to global prominence, and Barcelona are also a massive miss. Apart from the semis and the final, are people really going to be interested?” David Murray, a sports rights consultant, exclaimed.
“But it’s early stages still for this event, and I think what they’ll be trying to do is wrap this into other packages, like the World Cup; it won’t just be a pure standalone sometimes. Are fans going to stop everything to tune into this? It’s got a lot to do to even compete, so it feels like a bolt-on rather than a destination for fans where they can’t wait to see it.”
Prize Money
While viewers might find it difficult to find the appeal of the Club World Cup, teams and players might find the financial incentive too alluring to deny. The total prize pool is reported to be around a whopping €2.5 billion, which will be distributed to the 32 aspirants. Qualification in itself already brings a minimum of €50 million, while there will be other result-based bonuses and incentives. The winner will receive around €100 million, so one might expect spirited Club World Cup 2025 results all throughout the competition.
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