FIFA has officially announced significant changes to the Club World Cup, with the revamped format set to take effect from the 2025 edition. Here’s a comprehensive overview of the key details:
Tournament Format:
– The Club World Cup, once a seven-team mini-tournament, will now expand to include 32 teams, following a format similar to the regular World Cup.
– The competition will feature eight groups of four teams, each playing against the others. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage.
– Knockout matches, starting from the round of 16, will be single-legged affairs, with no third-place play-off, in contrast to the FIFA World Cup.
Frequency:
– The Club World Cup will transition from an annual event to a quadrennial one, aligning with the scheduling of the standard World Cup.
– The international match calendar will be adjusted, introducing one extended international break in late September and early October, replacing the current two separate windows.
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Host and Venue:
– The inaugural edition of the new format will take place in the United States in 2025, a year before the jointly hosted World Cup in 2026 (United States, Mexico, and Canada).
Qualification Process:
– A total of 32 teams will participate, including 12 from Europe (UEFA), six from South America (CONMEBOL), four each from North America (CONCACAF), Asia (AFC), and Africa (CAF), one from Oceania (OFC), and a host country representative.
– The 12 UEFA clubs will comprise Champions League winners from 2020-21 to 2023-24 and eight other teams determined by a club ranking based on the same four-year period.
– For CONMEBOL, the six clubs will include Copa Libertadores winners from 2021 to 2024 and two additional teams determined by a club ranking.
– CONCACAF will have four slots, with Monterrey, Seattle Sounders, and Leon already qualified, and one more to be determined, along with a host country representative.
– Asia’s representatives are Al Hilal and Urawa Red Diamonds, with two more slots contested.
– Al Ahly and Wydad AC represent Africa, with two more slots yet to be decided through the CAF Champions League.
– Additional slots will be filled through a ranking system, where teams earn points based on their performance in their confederation’s premier club competition.
European Ranking System:
– Teams in the UEFA Champions League will earn two points for a win, one point for a draw, four points for group stage qualification, five points for reaching the round of 16, and one point for progress beyond that stage.
– FIFA estimates that FC Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Porto, and Benfica would secure five of Europe’s eight remaining spots based on this system.