FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced on Friday a new feature to the already existing club World Cup which will feature 32 teams from 2025.
“There will be a club World Cup with 32 teams held every four years. And the first edition would be held in the summer of 2025. It will be in the slot of the Confederations Cup,” Infantino said.
This event has been postponed multiple times, first because of COVID and then in 2021 to accommodate the Copa and Euro. Infantino added.
The details still need to be discussed, agreed and decided by FIFA. Infantino added that a women’s Club World Cup is also being planned. The football’s governing body also introduced FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup.
Apart from FIFA’s club competition, the Under-17 World Cups will also be changed to an annual format.
Current Format
The announcement calls into questioning of the difficulties clubs already face with a packed schedule. The original format had one team from each continental governing body. Teams that won their respective continental league qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup.
It begins with a playoff round between the winners of the Oceania Championship and the winner of the host country's league. They then progress to face one of the Asian Champions, North American Champions or African Champions in the quarter-final rounds.
The semi-finals see the introduction of the European Champions and the South American Champions, with the winner of those games facing off in the final. The most recent winners are Chelsea, who beat Palmeiras 2-1 after extra-time in February this year to be crowned Champions of the World.
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