At who's expense? Given the current rumored breakdown: UEFA 8 CONMEBOL 6 CAF 3 AFC 3 CONCACAF 3 OFC 1 Unless FIFA keeps one vestige from the current format and starts the tournament with a play-in between a host team and the OFC representative, which would be a real kick below the belt to the latter (then again, with OFC guaranteed a WC berth, they will have lost any real right to complain).
One Chinese team, plus the winners of the 2019 and 2020 AFC CL. That would make the most sense to me (despite the double-dippong with the 2019 winners).
Ah, I see, basically the same principle as with the WC finals post-2022: no dedicated host berth, but rather the host team occupying one of its confederation's berths.
If we must have a host spot I would take it from CONMEBOL. I feel they are over-represented. I still rate CONMEBOL as the second-strongest confederation but double the allocation of the others? They haven't been that dominant. Far from it. Except CONCACAF. They have a 100% record over them. (*in four meetings total) In any case, I would like some sort of coefficient to be introduced in 2025 - although the quadrennial nature of the competition makes that a bit more difficult.
Or at least reduce them to 5.5 and give the host confed an extra half spot (extra including the host team, that is). Replacing a team that should be there on merit with a host team is unfair. They should at least be able to playoff for a spot. Edit: To clarify, I’m responding to the suggestion someone else made that the host team spot should come out of the host confed’s normal allocation. I think this is unfair. It’s one thing if you’re talking about a 48-team WC, but when you’re talking a 24-team tourney where some confeds have only 3 spots, converting that to 2 + the hosts seems pretty unfair to the team that would have been in that third spot. At least from 2025 onwards, anyway.
http://www.therepublic.com/2019/10/23/soc-fifa-club-world-cup/ FIFA inviting some non-champions to enlarged Club World Cup
So, country limits and OFC will playoff against the host confed (AFC here)’s third to make it. Thoughts anyone?
Chinese source reported the Winner of CWC will awarded 120 million USD and each club will be paid at least 20 million USD for participating
I don't really see the need to have a club from the host nation involved unless they are good enough to qualify as a team from their confederation. I think OFC should have a spot. If there is a need to have a playoff to get the host involved then they can playoff against a team from their own confederation. If China hosts and a Chinese club doesn't qualify, then have a playoff between the Chinese Champions and the 3rd Asian qualifier.
20 mil for showing up?! Someone's really gonna have to do due diligence on the sponsorship for this tournament...
So now that we know the host for this first edition of the new Club World Cup, what say you all? Want to keep discussion on this thread, or open up a new one specifically for the 2021 CWC?
CONMEBOL has been pretty dominant over the AFC and CAF teams that reached the CWC on merit. Its only the host teams that have taken a few scalps of late over the Libertadores champs. But AFC/CAF shouldn't get more spots on the basis of their host team reaching the final a couple of times IMO.
I thought Libertadores champions are used to boisterous away crowds? Dominated? Yes. To the extent of receiving twice the allocation? No. Remember, there were many tight wins in there including extra time against the semi-professionals from Auckland City. Can we at least agree that a coefficient system needs to be put in place in 2025?
I don't mind the OFC-Host playoff but dislike the attempted engineering to secure a MLS team in CONCACAF and a West Asian club in the AFC. I also dislike the different qualification windows per confederation. They should be more aligned. I am generally against any country restriction unless you move past all the winners and start looking at runner-ups. Luckily none of this has been adopted today and hopefully a more reasonable qualifying is set. The rumored prize money also makes it imperative that qualifying is not engineered so that no deserving sides miss out on it.
I say let everyone get their comments in on the current discussion and then start a new one. Call it, oh I don't know, "2021 FIFA Club World Cup: Tournament News & Qualifiers [R]"
lol, yes. I was looking at it from the other angle: If, say, the CAF champions are dreadful, that's the end of the analysis or discussion about how many spots should CAF get. Doesn't matter if some random "host" team does well (even if they are also from CAF).
So clubs can play for more than one championship? For example, the winner of Urawa and Al-Hilal will play for this coming CWC and the next? I do not think that is fair as it gives more value to the winner of this edition. The teams that qualify for 2021 CWC should be the top three of next year's edition or the two finalists of next year plus this year's losing finalist. Allocation would be easier from 2025 on wards.
That sounds like a clean transition...until you remember the massive gap b/w the prize money in the current CWC and what's been reported as available for 2021. I wouldn't be surprised to see anyone close to winning a CL title this season demanding a 2021 ticket
The CAF teams have been dreadful since 2013 - no argument from me there. I think we all agree that having a host club in a seven-team competition is problematic, but at the same time we can't just dismiss the accomplishments of host clubs. Oh well, I guess it's a discussion we will only have for two more years.
Let me wrap up by wishing a fond farewell to the Confederations Cup - not everyone will miss you, but I will. We'll always have Bloemfontein... https://media3.giphy.com/media/GJVpbMjfT2Ftm/giphy.gif