FIFA issued an official statement in the past few hours regarding the vacant spot in the Club World Cup, following the exclusion of Mexican club Club León for violating the tournament’s regulations, specifically Article 10, which prohibits “time-sharing.” This statement was considered an “indirect” message to Barcelona, which had hoped to participate after failing to qualify.
FIFA said in its statement:
“FIFA welcomes the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to dismiss the appeals filed by Pachuca, León, and Alajuelense regarding their participation in the 2025 Club World Cup.”
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Instead of awarding the spot to any European team or by special invitation, FIFA decided to resolve it via a one-off playoff between Club América (the highest-ranked club in the FIFA rankings for CONCACAF clubs) and Los Angeles FC (runners-up in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League). As such, Barcelona will not be part of the revamped tournament.
There had been speculation about the possibility of inviting Liverpool or Barcelona, but FIFA settled the controversy by confirming that the spot would remain within CONCACAF, closing the door to the participation of an additional European club.
The tournament will be held in the United States from June 14 to July 13, 2025. This edition is the largest in terms of the number of participants, with 32 teams. Among the most prominent participants are Real Madrid, who will play their first match on June 18 against Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia, seeking to retain their title as the most successful club in the tournament (five titles), along with Atlético Madrid, who will also represent Spain.
The groups are divided as follows:
Group 1: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
Group 2: Paris Saint-Germain, Atlético Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
Group 3: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
Group 4: Flamengo, Espérance de Tunis, Chelsea, winner of Club América/Los Angeles
Group 5: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter
Group 6: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD, Mamelodi Sundowns
Group 7: Manchester City, Wydad Casablanca, Al Ain, Juventus
Group 8: Real Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg, Al Hilal, Pachuca
The winning team is expected to receive a record prize money of €120 million, making it the most valuable club tournament in the world.
