The new Club World Cup will be held for the first time at the end of this season, from June 15 to July 13, in the United States. The tournament will feature 32 teams from around the world and will be held every four years. Furthermore, participating teams will be given an additional opportunity to strengthen their squads, as they will be able to recruit new players from June 1 to 10.
The 32 participating teams have already been selected, but FIFA has decided to exclude the Mexican club Club León from the tournament for violating joint ownership rules. According to a statement from the Mexican club, this action was described as unacceptable. FIFA is now looking for a replacement team to participate in the tournament. Could Barcelona be the chosen team? At the moment, it seems unlikely.
Last year, Barcelona came within a whisker of qualifying for the tournament. Since two teams from each country compete on a continental basis, Real Madrid was certain to participate, putting the Catalan club in contention with Atlético Madrid for the spot. Barcelona’s exit from the Champions League quarterfinals last year was a missed opportunity to participate in the first-ever Club World Cup. However, Lyon’s exclusion opened the door to a slim possibility of participation, but so far, it doesn’t seem likely.
First, it would be logical for a club from the same confederation, CONCACAF. Second, Europe will have 13 teams, and Liverpool, who also didn’t qualify, is considered to be in a better position. Furthermore, Spain will be the only country with three participating clubs, while other European countries, such as the Netherlands, have only one or none at all.
Another factor that makes Barcelona’s participation in the tournament almost impossible is the club’s preseason commitments. If Barcelona decided to participate in the Club World Cup, it would have to cancel its usual tour of the United States, a major source of revenue for the club. Instead, an Asian tour will be held next summer. Although this tour is not official, Barcelona’s participation in the tournament would require a change in its schedule.
All of these factors make Barcelona’s chances of participating in the new Club World Cup extremely slim, even though it would have provided the club with a significant financial boost at a time when the club has been seeking to diversify its sources of funding since Joan Laporta took over as president.