THE Club World Cup is set to return in the summer, with a brand new format for the 32 qualifiers.
The new-look tournament will take place over in the US between June 14 and July 13.
Chelsea qualified for the competition after winning the 2021 Champions League[/caption]
Man City also qualified after winning the Champions League in 2023[/caption]
Clubs from all over the world will compete, with 12 from Uefa, six from CONMEBOL, four from Concacaf, CAF, and AFC respectively, and one from USA and one from OFC.
Some big names will miss the tournament, with Liverpool and Barcelona among some of the names watching this one from home.
SunSport can reveal how every side qualified for the tournament.
Uefa qualifiers
Uefa was given 12 slots for the Club World Cup, with four going to Champions League winners, and another eight going to the highest ranked Uefa sides.
Champions League winning qualifiers:
The rules dictate that only two clubs from one country can qualify by ranking, but with two English sides already in the competition, Liverpool miss out.
Barcelona also miss out, as only one Spanish side was eligible for qualification.
Ranking qualifiers:
- Bayern Munich (Germany)
- PSG (France)
- Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
- Inter (Italy)
- Porto (Portugal)
- Atletico Madrid (Spain)
- Benfica (Portugal)
- Juventus (Italy)
- RB Salzburg (Austria)
Host qualifiers
As is the case with an international tournament, the host nation automatically qualified for the event.
However, the inclusion of Inter Miami has come with controversy.
LA Galaxy won the MLS play-offs and the MLS Cup, but were not awarded the spot.
Instead, Fifa decided the winners of the MLS Supporters’ Shield, Inter Miami, would qualify.
The MLS Supporters’ Shield is awarded to the team with the best record after 34 games in a regular MLS season – Inter Miami were the best, with 74 points.
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will be part of the tournament as a host club[/caption]
Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) qualifier
OFC only got one spot, determined by the OFC Champions League, which Auckland City FC have won 11 times in 14 years.
CONMEBOL qualifiers
CONMEBOL had six slots, with the winners of the Copa Libertadores qualifying, and two others via selection.
Copa Libertadores:
- Palmeiras (Brazil) – 2021
- Flamengo (Brazil) – 2022
- Fluminense (Brazil) – 2023
- Botafogo (Brazil) – 2024
CONMEBOL ranking qualifier:
- River Plater (Argentina)
Club World Cup rankings:
- Boca Juniors (Argentina)
Botafogo were one of four teams to qualify after winning Copa Libertadores[/caption]
Concacaf qualifiers
Four teams from Concacaf qualified either by winning the Concacaf Champions League, or by winning a play in*.
Concacaf Champions League:
- Monterrey (Mexico) – 2021
- Seattle Sounders (USA) – 2022
- Pachuca (Mexico) – 2024
Play-in winners:
- LAFC
*Liga MX’s Leon won the 2023 Concacaf Champions League, but were disqualified by FIFA for violating the club ownership structure rules.
LAFC qualified for the tournament after winning a play-in, following Leon being disqualified[/caption]
Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualifiers
There were two ways teams from CAF qualified, either by winning the CAF Champions League, or through the CAF rankings.
CAF Champions League:
- Al Ahly (Egypt) – 2021, 2023, 2024
- Wydad AC (Morocco) – 2022
CAF rankings:
- ES Tunis (Tunisia)
- Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
Al Ahly won the CAF Champions League three times in four years to qualify[/caption]
Asian Football Federation (AFC) qualifiers
Four Asian sides qualified by winning the AFC Champions League, or by the AFC rankings.
AFC Champions League:
- Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) – 2021
- Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) – 2022
- Al Ain (UAE) – 2023
As the competition was re-branded, there were only three winners during the qualifying period.
As a result, the fourth spot went to the highest ranked side:
- Ulsan HD (South Korea)
Al-Hilal qualified before the influx of European signings, but they will be on show in the US[/caption]
When does the Club World Cup 2025 start and how can I watch it?
- The Club World Cup starts on June 15 with the final taking place on July 13.
- All the action is available on DAZN.
- There are also 23 matches being shown on free-to-air Channel 5 across the tournament.
- SunSport will live blog select matches across the competition, including all Chelsea and Man City matches, as well as the latter stages.
