James Rodriguez's team suffered a shock defeat.

Club Leon has been disqualified from the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 for failing to comply with FIFA regulations regarding "one owner, multiple teams".

Club Leon has announced it will appeal FIFA's decision.

In an announcement made in the early hours of March 22, FIFA stated that Club Leon and Pachuca (another Mexican team), both owned by the Grupo Pachuca group, violated the tournament rules. Club Leon and Pachuca were originally the two representatives of Mexican football in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

However, after careful consideration of the situation, FIFA, based on Article 10.1 of its regulations, prohibits any club from owning or trading shares or securities with any other team participating in the tournament.

FIFA determined that Club Leon is linked to Pachuca in terms of ownership, therefore James Rodriguez's team cannot participate in the 2025 Club World Cup. Previously, the participation of both Club Leon and Pachuca in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 was strongly opposed by Costa Rican club Alajuelense.

After disqualifying Club Leon from the tournament, FIFA will soon announce its replacement. However, Club Leon immediately protested FIFA's decision. In a statement, the Mexican team expressed their disagreement and said they would consider legal action to overturn the ruling.

“Club Leon disagrees with FIFA’s decision, which has resulted in our exclusion from the upcoming Club World Cup. Determining which teams are ineligible rests with the Federation’s Secretary General, and we will be informed in the coming days,” the statement said.

The Mexican team also emphasized: “In recent months, the club has provided full evidence and documentation confirming that Club Leon operates independently in economic , administrative, and sporting matters. If Club Leon is banned from participating in the 2025 Club World Cup – a tournament we qualified for based on our on-field performance – we will pursue the matter to the end in the highest sporting legal bodies.”

If Club Leon is indeed excluded from the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, it would be a major blow to the team both economically and in terms of its image. The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is the first time in history that 32 teams will participate, with a total prize money of up to $1 billion (approximately £776 million), a record in history.