FIFA confirms 2025 Club World Cup with 19 teams already qualified

The FIFA Council, meeting in Jeddah, agreed the details of the 32-team Club World Cup to be held in the United States in 2025, in which Real Madrid are guaranteed a place as winners of the 2021/22 Champions League, and the rest of the Spanish teams will have to win one of the remaining places through the rankings.

FIFA said on Sunday that the tournament will take place from 15 June to 13 July and that it had approved the format as well as the qualifying methodology, "based on sporting criteria", for the access of teams from the six confederations.

"In order to ensure the highest possible quality based on sporting criteria in the four most recent seasons, starting from the group stage of the highest club competition of the respective confederation, and incentivising the result of each match of the respective tournament, the following methodology was approved for the new standard ranking: three points for a win; one point for a draw; three points for advancing in each stage of the competition," they wrote on their website.

FIFA specifies that in the case of European clubs, since three full seasons and a full group stage of the fourth season of the Champions League have been completed, "and given that UEFA has an existing club coefficient system, the current pre-existing methodological principles for the purpose of calculating the UEFA club coefficient in relation to Champions League matches shall only apply on an exceptional basis to determine the qualification of European clubs for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup," it states.

As a result, the approved methodology for the classification of European teams is as follows: two points for a win, one point for a draw, four points for qualifying for the group stage, five points for qualifying for the round of 16 and one point for advancing to each of the following stages of the competition.

Based on the approved accession principles and the results of the respective continental club competitions, the following clubs have already secured their presence:

- Africa (4 teams): Winners Al Ahly (EGY) (2020/21 and 2022/23 champions), Wydad (MAR) (2021/22) and the winners of the 2023/24 edition. Via rankings (1): To be confirmed.

- Asia (4 teams): Winners Al Hilal (KSA) (2021), Urawa Red Diamonds (2022) and the winners of the 2023/24 edition. Via rankings (1): To be confirmed.

- Europe (12 teams): Winners Chelsea (ENG) (2020/21), Real Madrid (2021/22), Manchester City (2022/23) and the winners of the 2023-24 edition. Via ranking (8): Bayern Munich (GER), PSG (FRA), Inter Milan (ITA), Porto (POR), Benfica (POR) and three teams to be confirmed.

- CONCANAF (4 TEAMS): Winners Monterrey (MEX) (2021), Seattle Sounders (USA) (2022), Leon (MEX) (2023) and the winners of 2024.

- Oceania (1 team): Auckland City (NZL)

- CONMEBOL (6 teams): Palmeiras (BRA) (2021), Flamengo (BRA) (2022), Fluminense (BRA) (2023) and the winners of 2024. Via ranking: two teams to be confirmed.

As FIFA explains, the dates have been set to ensure that the tournament fits in with the international match schedule and that there is sufficient time between the final and the start of the next season in many of the national leagues, as well as taking into account that a minimum of three days off between matches is guaranteed to safeguard the health of the players.

The group phase will be made up of eight groups of four teams, which will play in a group system. The top two will qualify for the round of 16, where they will start the single-elimination play-offs until the final. There will be no third-place play-off.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino of Switzerland said: "It will be an open competition based on sporting merit that will play a key role as part of efforts to make football truly global."