News: 2025 FIFA Club World Cup: General [Multiple Rs]

Really disappointing for Leon. These regulations were introduced after the fact.

And no explanation on why LDA is not taking the spot. Assuming it is seen as a "Mexican spot" then Club America should just get it as the highest ranked Concacaf side.

 

Hey guys been a while, I just got my fifa volunteer role offer . See you guys in Philadelphia for the CWC.

 

America would bring in more fans than any team in CONCACAF other than Chivas.
FIFA is rooting for them for sure.

 

In the absence of a winner I want to see the four-year ranking used. To me that makes the most sense. So it’s an argument between Club America, Philadelphia, and LDA depending on country limitations (or not). LAFC has no business being involved in my opinion.

Let’s see what happens in 2029 if two PIF owned clubs are involved. Say Al Ahli and Al Hilal. My guess? Nothing.

 

This headline pretty much sums up what I think most of us feel:

FIFA’s 2025 Club World Cup Is Giving Serious Concacaf Vibes

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianqui...b-world-cup-is-giving-serious-concacaf-vibes/

 

I enjoy the Gold Cup so I see it as a compliment rather than an insult.



Seriously, it is the first official Club World Cup expanded tournament. No matter what they did or how they organized it people would be complaining about it and ripping it apart.
At least they are trying to maximize profits and make it a short-term success which can always be a building block.

The alternative of having it in the middle of a small country with no fans at all and no buzz would make the tournament bland and no one would be talking about it at all.

 

Well, if you read the article you'd see you are agreeing with it mostly.

The article isn't criticizing staging the CWC in the US at all. Its criticizing the backdoor entries of some of the teams. That's a very CONCACAF-y way of doing things. In CONCACAF-land Its always about maximizing profits for the next week or month (as you say), even if that hurts the potential in the longer term.

 

UEFA has Salzburg going when Barcelona, Ajax, etc. are staying at home. If FIFA really wanted to rig it how that article is suggesting they would've allowed unlimited berths for the top countries.

Also, per Wikipedia on the MLS Supporters Shield:

The Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system. The Supporters' Shield has been annually awarded at the MLS Supporters' Summit since 1999 (with the winners between 1996 and 1998 awarded retroactively), and has been recognized as a major trophy by the league. It echoes the practice of the top European leagues in which the team with the best record is the champion. Since 2006, the Supporters' Shield winner has earned a berth in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

I fail to see how Inter Miami doesn't merit being in the discussion of host team if they won that award.

Edit: Been a while @BocaFan, hope you've been well!

 

You could make a similar case for dozens of other teams; the problem is you are reverse engineering the credibility of their inclusion. But that's a good skill to have if you want a job at FIFA.

Inter's inclusion is not credible because there was zero transparency on how that berth would be determined until after the fact. If Inter didn't win the SS but instead won the MLS Cup, FIFA would have invited the MLS Cup winners w/o a doubt.

And then there's the super-duper playoff game for the 32nd spot. Just happens to feature one of the most popular teams in the continent, and highlights that the 2-team country limit is more flexible than Simone Biles.

 

Nah, I just have tickets to the final so I'm invested You bring up good points.

 

Well, you can enjoy it without the best players this year.

It does raise the question, will Concacaf keep holding the Gold Cup at the same time as the CWC? Or will they look for a CAF/AFCON like solution on the calendar? And when will they finally introduce an annual edition.

 

I will enjoy it. I am going to the Gold Cup Final in Houston.


As for CONCACAF they will keep on doing their same old thing more than likely.
Although I would love a Winter Gold Cup like in years past.

 

It says a lot when a longtime IC/CWC follower like me struggles to warm up to this super duper CWC.

 

Pachuca kit for the CWC:
https://www.footballshirtculture.com/new-kits/club-pachuca-2025-charly-club-world-cup-shirts.html

I’m guessing the Leon ones are on sale somewhere?

 

They could easily hold the Gold Cup in July, as they’ve often done. Including every time when there’s been a conflicting June tournament. Previously Confederations Cup, more recently Concacaf Nations League Finals (due to post-Covid schedule compression), and I think even the 2015 WWC in Canada caused Gold Cup to move to July.

I honestly have no idea why they didn’t move it to July this time. Off the top of my head 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021, and 2023 were all in July.

 

If they had announced before the season that the US “host” spot would go to the MLS Supporters Shield winner because they wanted to have the field set before the December draw (i.e. before MLS Cup 2024) or some other excuse, then there would’ve been fewer objections. But the Supporters Shield is clearly a second-tier trophy below MLS Cup, so it otherwise makes no sense to award the spot that way and was obviously done include Messi. And that’s why they waited so long to announce the spot allocation.

Miami fired their coach for winning the Supporters Shield but losing in the MLS Cup playoffs.

 

Only thing I can think of is that most of the stadiums wanted it during June and not July. Conflicts occur in many forms. Concerts being the main one. But other events too. (MLS scheduling , Rodeos etc.)

 

Yep.. Promotion of this event has also been lacking. I have seen way more advertising for the summer series tour of EPL clubs coming up this summer in the US than for the CWC. And that tournament involves arguably smaller clubs, on average.
Though to be fair the prices are lower and there is just as much at stake, so EPL summer series does seem appealing

 

2023 was just one week shifted from this year's schedule, still straddling June/July after the regular June window. Since they no longer have to deal with Confederations Cup or odd year Copa America, they've preferred using basically the same weeks everybody uses for summer tournaments, as those fit better with the break in the club schedule in most places. 2021 was different because everything in scheduling was different that year.

 

Yes, they could have moved it to July. When the Confederations Cup existed, the Gold Cup always followed it in scheduling. That said, asking players to play back-to-back summer tournaments would be simply outrageous. Even in the Confederations Cup days there was hardly (any?) player overlap for the Concacaf team. Usually it would be "A" team for Confederations Cup and "B" team for Gold Cup (the AFCON was still strictly in winter then). Also, if you move it to July it starts to interfere with the European club season which usually commences mid-August.

Anyway, watching Concacaf and CAF struggle to schedule their all too regular nations cup tournaments is one of the few things that brings a smile to my face about this convoluted and contrived expanded CWC.

 

Good luck - massive Lisboa derby tonight!

 

Hell yeah buddy