FIFA wants the Club World Cup to be one of the biggest tournaments in football – with 32 teams to be held in the United States in 18 months. Manchester United and Liverpool will not qualify for the revamped 2025 Club World Cup, even if either of them wins the Champions League next season.
FIFA will make big changes to its major club event after the 2023 edition, which is currently being played in Saudi Arabia. The current format is for the champions of each continent to compete in an annual tournament to determine the best teams in the world. However, since its inception in 2000, the Club World Cup has never caught the attention of the public, as the winners are almost always European champions. Manchester City will face Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds, Brazil's Fluminense or Egypt's Al Ahly in the semi-finals of the ongoing match on Tuesday.
FIFA wants to make the Club World Cup one of the most prestigious competitions in the sport and will expand the number of teams participating in the Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States in 2025, from seven to 32 teams. Thereafter, the competition will be held every four years. In order to make the Club World Cup as impactful as possible, FIFA will only allow two clubs from each league to participate. Premier League teams can qualify by winning the Champions League in a four-year window.
The four-year window for 2025 runs from 2020 to 2024. This means 2021 Champions League champions Chelsea and defending European champions Manchester City have secured two qualifications for England. If Arsenal win the Champions League this season, they could qualify for the 2025 Club World Cup. However, with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Newcastle not participating in this season's Champions League knockout rounds, the hope of them heading to the United States to play after 18 months is non-existent.
The FIFA president met in Jeddah on Sunday to discuss the eligibility criteria for the 2025 Club World Cup, which will take place from June 15 to July 13. Chelsea, Manchester City and 2022 Champions League winners Real Madrid have all qualified. A total of 12 European teams participated. The other nine teams will be judged based on their performance in the Champions League since 2020. Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Porto and Benfica are guaranteed to advance.
Other teams in contention include Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, Barcelona, Juventus, Napoli, RB Salzburg and Lazio. Arsenal, FC Copenhagen, Real Sociedad and PSV Eindhoven will only qualify if they win this season's Champions League.