Soccer: The 2025 Club World Cup, a new format and contested European qualifiers
The United States will host a tournament featuring 32 teams, including 12 from Europe, for a month-long competition. The next edition of the Club World Cup will mark a major turning point with a new format set for the summer of 2025. Until now, a rule limited participation to only two clubs per country.
However, FC Barcelona’s elimination in the quarter-finals of the Champions League has seriously jeopardized its chances of qualification due to an insufficient number of points in the continental rankings. This situation has paved the way for Atlético Madrid to represent Spain in the tournament.
With 11 out of the 12 European spots already allocated, only Arsenal still had a chance to qualify by winning the Champions League this season. Unfortunately, their defeat against Bayern Munich means they will also not participate in the Club World Cup next year.
Thus, RB Salzburg has secured the last available spot for European teams. The 12 European teams qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup are: Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica Lisbon, Porto, PSG, and RB Salzburg.
