2029 FIFA Club World Cup: News & General Discussion [multiple Rs]

It is payback for them destroying his World Cup every two years dream and World Nations League ideas.

 

You are correct that only the leader after the regular season gets into the ACL elite. Currently the Grand Final winners don't get any Asian club football with the ACL 2 spot going to the Australia Cup winners. The AFC considers the Premiers Plate the main title, but I can assure you that we regard the Grand Final winners as the A League Champions and its the more important trophy. When my club won the Premiers Plate a few years back but was eliminated in the Final series it felt like we had won nothing.

Next season Melbourne City go to the ACL but they got that spot not for winning the Grand Final but because they finished second on the League table. Auckland FC were ineligible to play in ACL as they are not from an AFC member nation. It seems strange to me that the only professional clubs in the OFC have no path at all to the CWC right now.

As for the new OFC professional league whilst I wish it every success I think it will struggle to get off the ground and I don't think it will last for more than a season or two. I hope it does succeed and get to the point that the New Zealand clubs in the A League can survive playing in that league alone and any Australian Clubs in it return to the Australian System (along with a path to the A league).

 

https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...every-two-years-from-2029-and-could-expand-it

If FIFA goes ahead with this then it'll mean some players having a summer tournament every year or nearly every year.

There's usually a UEFA Executive Committee meeting next month and I expect a strategy to counter this proposal will be on the agenda because I believe it's inevitable FIFA will push for this so it can be scheduled into the post-2030 calendar, so we'd face CWCs in 2029, 2031, 2033 etc.

Given the load the charged calendar is putting on some players, I still think the best solution would be a FIFA CL played in 4 windows between August-September and May (36-club league phase of 6 games per club (Swiss model) in 2 x 3-game 2-week windows between August-September and December, followed by a knockout stage 2-week 4-game window in February-March finishing with a 1-week Final Four at the end of May at a single venue). It could feature 1-2 clubs from the highest-ranked leagues with clubs ranked immediately below them qualifying for the continental CLs.

I wonder when the two NT games would be played if - as suggested - they are removed from the post-2030 IMC to create space for biennial CWCs?

 

There's a new low for FIFA month after month.

 

Well, this is partially UEFA's fault.

FIFA would have probably not attempted to get into the Club game if it were not for UEFA denying the World Cup every two year idea and the rumored World Nations League.

Now this is FIFA's revenge.

 

Thats undoubtedly true, but UEFA probably didn’t envisage CWC being so lucrative thanks to Saudi investment.

incidentally volleyball has made its world championship biennial - it also has the Olympic tournament which is a duplicate world championship - so there’s precedent for major team sports having global national team competitions more frequently (obviously the financial stakes are much smaller than football but nevertheless).

 

That's likely, yes, but my comment was just on FIFA and it's crazy pace of ideas that are coming out, and changes, and updates, and fixing things that don't need to be fixed, and new competitions... and they are forcing those without wider discussions, they just mention MONEY and fat, old executives vote for it. Crazy.

Take a look at the FIFA U-17 WC. All of a sudden there's no bidding process. They also decide to double its size to 48 teams. To play it every year. And to give five straight tournaments to Qatar who would host it in its training center with only one match played at proper stadium that "deserves" global stage.

I want Sepp's FIFA back!

 

Fifa’s Club World Cup to take place in summer 2029 – and not in Qatar:
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...to-take-place-in-summer-2029-and-not-in-qatar

If you have last minute playoffs, and not every club will be known at the time of of the draw, then you better make spots for the very latest UEFA, AFC, CAF, and Concacaf winners if not qualified already.

Meaning Cruz Azul, Pyramids FC, and Al Ahli SFC would have been in the 2025 edition.

 

Sounds good to me.
I suggested a playoff weeks ago.

 

I dislike the playoff idea; that was one of the options back in 2017 when they expanded the FWC to 48 teams but it was not adopted because the disadvantage is that teams eliminated in the playoffs lead to a fall in interest in those markets.

Since the Swiss model is now becoming more widely understood thanks to the new UCC league phases, why not have 48 teams drawn into 4 groups of 12 teams, each team plays 3 games and the 4 highest-ranked teams in each group qualify for the R16?

 

There is an argument for an annual 48-team u17 world cup since its mainly a tool to develop players. There's no risk of diluting interest since interest is very low to begin with and a big global viewing audience is not a primary objective. And player fatigue doesn't enter the equation at all.

The biennial WC idea is at another level, since its just not really feasible w/o killing the regional tournaments. FIFA getting mad that UEFA doesn't roll over and let them have their biennial WC is like someone getting mad at you for not letting them move into your house and bang your wife. The level of entitlement to not only suggest such a thing but to get angry when others resist is just mind-boggling.

 

you are taking it too serious. let‘s find out first if FIFA can put the financial structure for the tournament once again, then we can talk about everything else

 

The Club WC doesn't need to make money. The first one didn't generate much revenue, and it will just decline from here. Let's face it, no CWC will generate ticket revenue like CWC25 in the U.S. (until its held in the U.S. again).

But Saudi money is all FIFA needs to justify staying on this mickey-mouse train.

 

1. the only reason it exists is because Infantino thought it would generate big money for FIFA
2. it can‘t generate losses, it must cover itself. FIFA simply can‘t give the money that belongs to member associations to world’s richest private clubs
3. if they can‘t generate the profit, they will simply cancel it and serve us some PR bullshit as explanation for that move

do you think someone else but saudi arabia is ready to pay a billion for the competition that football fans see as doomed? do you think saudi arabia would do it again? let‘s wait and find it out!

 

And maybe, just maybe they can have neutral venues this time for all involved.

 

PREFERRED CLUBS ANNOUNCED FOR HISTORIC OFC PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE:
https://www.oceaniafootball.com/preferred-clubs-announced-for-historic-ofc-professional-league/

So one Aussie club and no Wellington Phoenix? Can South Melbourne qualify for the CWC?

Phoenix consider legal action after rejection from OFC Professional League:
https://www.friendsoffootballnz.com...after-rejection-from-ofc-professional-league/

Seems very messy…

 

More info on the OFC Pro League:
https://www.insideworldfootball.com...s-regions-oldest-pro-team-wellington-phoenix/

 

So Champions League is obsolete now if this is the only path for IC/CWC. What would they play for?

Auckland City becomes irrelevant. At least until this collapses. And it will. Unsustainable without big input of money by Pacific islands' governments. This 40M investment by OFC - wow. But players need to be paid, clubs need to be run.

If league lasts for five months, what would players do in remaining part of the year? What would the contracts look like?

14 games a year - some won't play any game at home. Not good.

NZ clubs in Aussie league are all of a sudden eligible for FIFA qualification - they were not allowed to play OCL.

So many questions for a competition run by amateur organization.

 

Opinion: Wellington Phoenix deserve answers after Oceania Football Confederation snub:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/36081...ers-after-oceania-football-confederation-snub

 

UEFA President said Europe would oppose CWC every two years and expansion of clubs.

 

It was a USA warm up... Spain Argentina Uruguay and Morocco probably won't need one

 

FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ achieves global success with 2.7 billion audience:
https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments...s/intercontinental-cup-dates-venues-confirmed

For what it’s worth…

 

2026 world cup final is going to be interesting to watch.

 

It was failure and only partially saved by Saudi Arabia's $1bn payment to DAZN.

 

I would not say it was a failure. But it was not a success either.

It was better and had more clout and presence online in social media and in the real media than all the Club World Cups in Asia and Africa in the middle of December though.
At least that is something to gloat about.