One of the great unknowns of the new Club World Cup with 32 teams that will start in 2025 is how UEFA will distribute its 12 places. Although talks are still taking place between FIFA, UEFA and ECAThe Times already gives a first clue that could end up crystallizing.
It would be about granting eight places by UEFA coefficient and another four to the Champions League champions of the last editions prior to the World Cup (2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025). In this way, Madrid would already have its position secured in the first edition that will be held in June 2025 with a venue yet to be determined.
The UEFA ranking is considered the most logical and fair scale to award most places. At present, and if the World Cup were immediate, the eight classified in this way would be: Bayern, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United. Bearing in mind that Madrid would be classified as champions of the Champions League, their place would go to Juventus, ninth in the ranking.
Of course, ‘The Times’ explains that UEFA wants to limit the teams classified by country to two. This would affect the English, especially, who have four in the top eight in the ranking. The beneficiaries would be the following in the coefficient: Ajax and Dortmund. The only way to have four clubs per country is for two of them to win the Champions League in previous years and another two to be in the top eight in the ranking.
all to decide
FIFA reported after its last Council that it has already decided on the distribution of places by Confederations for the new World Cup: UEFA (Europe) will have 12, CONMEBOL (South America) 6, AFC (Asia) 4, CAF (Africa) 4, Concacaf ( Central and North America) 4, OFC (Oceania) 1 and a last one for the host of the tournament. The new Club World Cup, expanded to 32 teams, is Infantino’s big bet for his new mandate, which he will inaugurate in a month at the General Congress of Rwanda.
Until 2025, FIFA will maintain the Club World Cup with the usual format of recent years, that is, with seven participating teams and one per Confederation, plus the host. After the Council it was also learned that Saudi Arabia will host this year’s edition from December 12 to 22, 2023.