The dust has barely settled on the first Club World Cup, but the race for the next one, set for 2029, is already heating up. Here’s a twist for you: Four teams have officially punched their tickets, and Chelsea, the inaugural champions, isn’t one of them. Talk about a curveball! Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain, who Chelsea beat in that final, is already guaranteed a spot.
It might sound odd, but there’s a simple reason for this strange situation. The Club World Cup only hands out direct qualification spots to continental champions from 2025 through 2028. Since PSG clinched the Champions League title, they’re automatically in. They got their golden ticket.
Three other powerhouse clubs have also secured their places by winning their continent’s top tournaments. From Asia, we have Al Ahli from Saudi Arabia. Africa’s representative is Pyramids from Egypt. And for North America, Mexico’s Cruz Azul is already in. Football fans in South America will soon know their first qualified team when the Libertadores champion is crowned later this year.
So, what does this mean for Chelsea? If they want to defend the title they won this year in the United States, they’ll have to earn their way back. They’ve got two main paths. They could win the Champions League again sometime before 2029. Or, they could consistently perform well enough in European competitions to be ranked among the top European teams in the upcoming qualification cycle. It’s a new challenge for the champions.
As for where this 2029 showdown will take place, that’s still up in the air. Portugal, Spain, and Morocco are all in the running to host the big event. We’ll have to wait and see which country gets the honor.
