2023-06-23 18:50:51
The 32-team Club World Cup is now a reality. FIFA announced this Friday that the new tournament will be held in the United States in 2025 and that it will bring together the great teams from the five continents. The arrival of the new format causes the expiration of the current one, which included only the seven winners of the most important trophies, such as the Champions League or the Copa Libertadores. Next December, in Arabia SaudYes, the last edition of this model will take place, which had been in force since the year 2000.
It remains to be seen how the list of 32 teams that will fight for the world crown will be filled out, as only 12 have been confirmed to date: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Monterrey ( Mexico), Seattle Sounders (United States), Palmeiras (Brazil), Flamengo (Brazil), Chelsea (England), Real Madrid (Spain), León (Mexico), Manchester City (England) and Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan).
In addition to the expectation of the novelty, the awarding of the tournament also signals FIFA’s declaration of intent to promote soccer on North American soil: the 2024 Copa América will be held in the United States, the 2025 Club World Cup in the same country and the World Cup for teams in Canada, Mexico and the US Three consecutive years of the best soccer on the other side of the Atlantic.
“The decision was taken after taking into account that the United States has demonstrated its exceptional capacity to organize competitions of a global nature,” FIFA explained in its statement, stressing that the attribution of the venue was made “unanimously” in a session of its Council held by videoconference from Zurich (Switzerland).
With one eye on the 2026 World Cup
“In addition, the designation will make it possible to take advantage of the synergies created with the celebration of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, from which both competitions and the development of soccer in North America will benefit,” the instance added. For the FIFA President, Gianni Infantinothe expansion of the Club World Cup, which until now had been played in a reduced format of seven teams annually, will be “a historic event.”
«The 2025 World Cup will be the most outstanding event for the elite of professional men’s club football. The United States already has the required infrastructure and enormous interest throughout the country, making it the ideal host to host the first edition of this new competition”, estimated Infantino, quoted in the text.
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