This year, the FIFA Club World Cup will apply a new format for the first time with 32 participating teams. With the expectation of being a flashy tournament ahead of the 2026 World Cup, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has allocated the number of participating teams based on the achievements of member associations.
PSG is the leading candidate for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup title (Photo: Getty).
Accordingly, Europe will have 12 places to participate, followed by South America with 6 places. Asia, Africa, North Central America will each have 4 places, Oceania one place and the host US one place.
The controversy erupted when FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino selected Inter Miami as the host nation’s 2025 Club World Cup qualifier despite not winning the MLS. The decision highlighted the opaque nature of the tournament’s qualifying criteria.
Immediately, a wave of fierce opposition from experts and fans arose, many people thought that FIFA's choice of Inter Miami to participate in the 2025 Club World Cup was a lack of transparency and unfair move.
Meanwhile, the teams that have just been crowned champions of three of Europe's top leagues, Liverpool, Barcelona and Napoli, are not eligible to participate.
The Mirror (UK) reacted strongly: "We all know why. Lionel Messi plays for Inter Miami and Infantino wants Messi to participate in this ridiculous tournament.
He wants Messi to try to get a lot of money for a TV deal, he wants Messi to try to sell tickets, he wants Messi to please the commercial partners."
Another concern ahead of the 2025 Club World Cup is player welfare, with global players' union FIFPro taking legal action against FIFA over the tournament depriving players of a break between intense seasons.
Messi injured due to slippery grass at Copa America 2024 (Photo: Getty).
Meanwhile, the infrastructure of this tournament is also a concern. Although held in 12 stadiums across the US, the 2025 Club World Cup is facing a serious shortage of seats for spectators.
The selected football fields are 100x64m in size, 740m2 smaller than the FIFA standard size, causing great dissatisfaction among the participating teams.
The tournament's turf was also rated below average after the 2024 Copa America ended, leaving many fans concerned about the quality of the matches.
Although FIFA has pledged that matches will meet their specifications, many fans remain skeptical due to previous events at the 2024 Copa America.
FIFA Club World Cup 2025 schedule in the US (Photo: FIFA).
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/fifa-club-world-cup-gap-nhieu-thach-thuc-truoc-khi-khoi-tranh-20250603120013065.htm
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