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In 2016, shortly after being elected FIFA President to replace Sepp Blatter, Gianni Infantino mentioned the Club World Cup, a short tournament with a few matches. According to him, the old format was "not really attractive and not worthy". Then Infantino proposed a large-scale tournament, gathering "32 of the best clubs in the world " to create a big festival similar to the World Cup at the national team level.
After a long preparation period, Infantino's FIFA Club World Cup (with the Cup bearing his name) officially kicked off in the US on June 14, 2025. The grandeur is obvious, as 32 clubs from 6 continents gather in the US, competing with a prize fund of up to 1 billion dollars.
However, looking back at the names of the teams, it is easy to see the absence of big names. That is Liverpool, Barca or the recent continental champions such as Pyramids (Africa), Al Ahli (Asia) or Cruz Azul and (North/Central America). Besides, out of 32 teams participating from 20 countries, only 8 are the current national champions.
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FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Groups. |
While the World Cup, EURO and other continental championships all determine the participating teams based on the qualifying rounds, the FIFA Club World Cup is decided by review, based on achievements from 2021 to 2024. The problem is that in football, especially at the club level, things change very quickly. A team that was excellent last year or the year before can become bad this year, let alone four years ago.
Take Chelsea, for example. The West London team is in this competition because they won the 2020/21 Champions League. However, in the last two seasons, they have not even qualified for Europe's top tournament and have also been in decline in the Premier League. The Blues have also changed owners, gone through four coaches and most of their players have been replaced.
Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds are another case. Having won the 2022 AFC Champions League after a journey that was said to be based on luck, they were eliminated in the group stage of the 2023 season and were left out of the 2024 season. In the 2024 J League, Urawa Reds fell to 13th place.
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There are plenty of stars at the FIFA Club World Cup, but it's unlikely they'll produce explosive performances due to fatigue after a long season. |
Furthermore, some of the clubs that have qualified through the continental ranking system are not necessarily the next best. Juventus have not won Serie A in the last five seasons, nor have they qualified for the Champions League in the last two. Dortmund is the only team among the 32 that will not win a domestic or continental championship in the 2021-2024 period. Or, it is difficult to say that Inter Miami is among the best in the world when it has received a wild card from President Infantino himself.
Of course, it is not easy to create a perfect selection format for a four-year club competition. But if that is the case, is it necessary to expand the FIFA Club World Cup to its current size?
There has been much criticism of the inclusion of the tournament in an already busy schedule. We saw the lethargy of the players in the recent international break, which came so soon after the end of a long season. Now, instead of going on a break to recharge, they have to travel to the FIFA Club World Cup. Nuno Mendes is one example. The PSG player has played in Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, the Trophee des Champions and reached the Champions League final, then went on to play two Nations League games with Portugal and the upcoming games in the United States.
In any case, the FIFA Club World Cup, President Infantino's dream, has come true. And having another football party in a summer will still be welcomed by global fans. Just don't expect too much from the matches being particularly attractive, because not all teams deserve to be the best.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/fifa-club-world-cup-co-thuc-su-quy-tu-nhung-clb-xuat-sac-nhat-the-gioi-post1750977.tpo
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