New FIFA Club World Cup starts on June 15th – 12/17/2023 – Sport
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In a meeting before the semi-finals of the Club World Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the FIFA (International Football Federation) council released new information about the date and format of the new Club World Cup, which will be played by 32 teams in 2025, in the United States.
The competition will feature participants from each of the six confederations affiliated to the entity and will be held from June 15th to July 13th. The information was released this Sunday (17).
The date was chosen to ensure that the tournament is in line with the international games calendar, and considering a minimum interval of three days of rest between matches for the well-being of the players, according to FIFA.
The World Cup will follow the same format as the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the difference that there will be no competition for third place.
The tournament will have a group stage contested by eight groups of four teams; the two best teams in each group advance to the round of 16; a direct knockout stage in a single match, from the round of 16 to the final; no competition for third place.
Among the clubs already classified are Fluminense, Flamengo and Palmeiras, the last Libertadores champions. Among the European teams, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea, the last champions of the Champions League, have already been guaranteed a place.
There is also a second classification criterion, which will be through the FIFA club rankings. According to the ranking, Bayern Munich, PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), Inter Milan, Porto and Benfica are classified.
The standard classification methodology to define the rest of the teams through the ranking will be considered from the group stage of the main club competition relevant to each confederation and will be based on the following parameters: three points for a victory; one point for a draw; and three points for advancing to each stage of the competition.
In the case of European clubs, pre-existing methodological principles will be applied exceptionally to determine the teams’ classification for the 2025 World Cup.
The decision was taken as UEFA has a club coefficient system in place and three full seasons and a full group stage of the fourth season of the Champions League have already been completed.
The approved methodology for ranking European teams comprises: two points for a victory; one point for a draw; four points for qualifying for the group stage; five points for qualifying for the round of 16; one point per classification for each subsequent phase of the competition.
Based on the approved access principles and the results of the respective continental club competitions, the following clubs have already been defined:
Africa, with 4 teams
- Vacancies for champions (CAF Champions League) – 3 teams
2020/21 and 2022-23: Al Ahly (Egypt)
2021/22: Wydad (Morocco)
2023/24: to be confirmed
- Vacancy via ranking – 1 team to be confirmed
Asia, with 4 teams
- Vacancies for champions (AFC Champions League) – 3 teams
2021: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
2022: Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan)
2023/24: to be confirmed
- Via ranking – 1 team to be confirmed
Central and North America and the Caribbean, with 4 teams
- Vacancies for champions (Concacaf Champions Cup) — 4 teams
2021: Monterrey (Mexico)
2022: Seattle Sounders (United States)
2023: León (Mexico)
2024: to be confirmed
South America, with 6 teams
- Vacancies for champions (Copa Libertadores) – 4 teams
2021: Palmeiras (Brazil)
2022: Flamengo (Brazil)
2023: Fluminense (Brazil)
2024: to be confirmed
- Vacancies via ranking – 2 teams to be confirmed.
The final place will be awarded to a club from the host country.
Europe, with 12 teams
- Vacancies for champions (UEFA Champions League) – 4 teams
2020/21: Chelsea (England)
2021/22: Real Madrid (Spain)
2022/23: Manchester City (England)
2023/24: to be confirmed
- Vacancies via ranking – 8 teams
Bayern München (Germany)
Paris Saint-Germain (France)
International (Italy)
Porto, Portugal)
Benfica (Portugal)
10. To be confirmed
11. To be confirmed
12. To be confirmed
Oceania, with 1 team
- Via ranking – Auckland City (NZL)*
*According to FIFA, although the 2024 edition of the OFC Champions League has not yet been played, of the teams that can compete, there is no mathematical possibility of any surpassing Auckland City FC based on the points gained by the team during the classification period.
Intercontinental Cup will be played from 2024
FIFA also informed that the club world cup in its annual format, which features Fluminense in this year’s edition, will be called, from 2024, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
The tournament will feature all the champions of the confederation’s main club competitions and will end with a final between the winners of the Champions League and the winners of an intercontinental play-off between clubs from the other confederations.
The match must be held at a neutral location. The Intercontinental Cup will comprise the following stages:
Step A: Disputed in two phases. Alternately, the champions of Africa or Asia will play at their stadium against the winners of Oceania during the first phase. The winners of the round will face the winners from Africa or Asia in the final stage.
The first edition will define an African or Asian representative in the first round by draw, and the field teams will be divided so that each team will play a match in their stadium.
Step B: The winners of the Concacaf Champions Cup will face the winners of the Copa Libertadores in a single game at one of the clubs’ stadium, to be determined by draw.
Play-offs: The winning teams in the previous stages will face each other in the days leading up to the final, on the same neutral stage.
Final: The play-off winners will face the winner of the UEFA Champions League at a neutral venue. Whoever wins will be the champion.
For the inaugural edition of the competition in 2024, the first stages will be scheduled by FIFA after consultation with clubs and confederations. The play-off will be held on December 14th, in a neutral venue, and the final will take place on the 18th of the same month.
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