Reports indicate that either Manchester United or Liverpool winning the Champions League next season could lead to their exclusion from the revamped Club World Cup in 2025.
FIFA aims to revitalize its premier club tournament post the ongoing 2023 edition in Saudi Arabia. The existing format, featuring yearly clashes among continental champions, has faced challenges in gaining widespread support, largely due to the dominance of Champions League victors since its inception in 2000.
Manchester City is slated to face Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds in the Club World Cup semi-finals next week, with the winner progressing to face either Fluminense from Brazil or Al Ahly from Egypt. FIFA intends to expand the number of participating teams from seven to 32 for the 2025 event in the United States, held every four years. The governing body plans to limit entry to two clubs per country, with priority granted to Champions League winners over the past four years.
Presently, Chelsea and Manchester City hold the top spots due to their triumphs in the 2021 Champions League and other European competitions. However, FIFA may reconsider should a nation produce more than two continental champions within a specified period. For instance, Arsenal could qualify for the 2025 Club World Cup by winning this year’s Champions League.
Teams like Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Liverpool, or Tottenham are unlikely to feature in this year’s tournament as they didn’t progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
FIFA recently outlined the qualification criteria for the 2025 Club World Cup during a meeting in Jeddah. Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Chelsea earned spots based on their 2022 Champions League victories. Twelve European teams received invitations, with nine more selected based on their performance in the Champions League since 2020. Benfica, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, and Porto have confirmed their participation.
Clubs such as Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, Barcelona, Juventus, Napoli, Red Bull Salzburg, Lazio, Arsenal, Copenhagen, Real Sociedad, and PSV still stand a chance to qualify by winning this year’s Champions League.
