FIFA has officially confirmed that the 2025 version of the Club World Cup will feature 32 teams. The most recent version of the competition consisted of just seven clubs. Along with the planned expansion, the sport’s world governing body will also change the tournament schedule.
For the 2025 Club World Cup, the 32 were divided into eight groups in total. This means that each group will have four clubs. The new format would essentially be similar to the World Cup or UEFA Champions League tournaments.
UEFA would have the most teams involved in the competition with 12. South America’s CONMEBOL would then have six, with AFC, CAF and CONCACAF having four teams each. There will also be one team from the OFC and one more from a host nation.
The Club World Cup 2025 in summer limits possible hosts
Traditionally, the tournament takes place in the winter months. However, FIFA plans to organize the 2025 Club World Cup for the summer. This could also rule out certain Middle Eastern countries from hosting the competition. The United States emerged as one of the rumored hosts of the tournament.
Morocco was the most recent host, as Real Madrid extended their tournament winning record to five.
League and player organizations are not happy with the decision
The expansion announcement doesn’t excite everyone. The World Leagues Forum, an association of 40 professional soccer leagues, said the move hurts the sport.
“As the calendar is already overloaded, with longstanding domestic club competitions and ever-expanding international competitions, FIFA’s decision creates the risk of match congestion, further player injuries and a distortion of the competitive balance.”
FIFPRO, the world organization representing players, also had strong words for the governing body. The groups claimed that FIFA made these decisions “unilaterally without seriously consulting, let alone agreeing, with the players.”
“Once again, decisions to escalate competitions without proper safeguards in place are short-sighted and do not pay attention to player health and performance.”
PHOTO: IMAGO / Sports Press Photo
