The next Club World Cup is still four years away. However, four clubs have already secured their spot in the next Club World in 2029. This news comes even before this year’s Chelsea vs PSG final. The format and the qualification criteria of Club World Cup has changed. Now, the clubs can qualify in advance.
The 2029 Club World Cup will have 32 teams. In this case, these teams will be from different continents. The Competition is going to be held after every four years. The 2025 edition has not even ended and the preparation to 2029 edition has started.
Clubs Qualified for Club World Cup 2029 –
Four clubs have already qualified for next Club World Cup :
- Paris Saint Germain from France – Qualified by winning the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 where they defeated Inter Milan by 5-0 in Final.
- Cruz Azul from Mexico – Qualified by winning the CONCACAF Champions League Cup in 2025.
- Pyramids FC from Egypt – Qualified by winning the CAF Champions League.
- Al-Ahli from Saudi Arabia – Qualified by winning the AFC Champions League.
These Teams are from Different countries and Different Continents. These Include – Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. They have won top trophies in their continents. Therefore they have got a guaranteed spot in CWC 2029. This shows the importance of top title in continents under new FIFA rules.
Chelsea and PSG will play on 13th July 2025 in the final. However, PSG are already qualified for next edition. Thus, Chelsea will need to win big titles in future to get a spot in 2029 CWC. Also, This year’s final between them will be a matter of pride.
How Does Club World Cup Qualification work?
The FIFA CWC does not take place every year. Now, it is held once after every four years. The new format started in 2025 in USA. It has 32 clubs from many continents of the world. The selection of club is done by the amount of title they have won in the four years.
Slots for 2029 FIFA CWC –
- UEFA (Europe) – 12 clubs
- CONMEBOL (South America) – 6 clubs
- CAF (Africa) – 4 clubs
- AFC (Asia) – 4 clubs
- CONCACAF (North America) – 4 clubs
- OFC (Oceania) – 1 club
- Host Nation – 1 club
Clubs can qualify by winning the top title in the continent between 2025-2028. However, if there are not enough winners, the top clubs will be picked depending upon their last four year ranking in their continent. This means that the clubs would need to be consistent.
In Europe, only two clubs from each country can qualify. This rule has become a big debate. As clubs like Arsenal, Liverpool can miss out even if they perform good every year.
What to expect from FIFA CWC 2029 ?
FIFA is planning to make the CWC even bigger. There are sources that say that 48 clubs may participate in the tournament. This will allow more clubs from small league to play in CWC. However, it will make the tournament schedule longer.
The host for 2029 is not decided. There are some options like USA, Spain, Morocco, Portugal. FIFA will decide the host on the basis of Stadiums, fans.
Author’s Opinion
The FIFA CWC new Format is really good. It allows clubs from different parts of world to compete against each other. Also, it will make the continental title more important as it will secure a spot in CWC. Small clubs also taking part in the tournament is a good news for football. This shows that football is growing outside Europe. Fans will be excited to watch their local teams play against Top World class teams.
However, FIFA should be careful if they expand the tournament to 48 teams. The schedule will become tight and boring. Also, there will be a lot of injury issues to players as they get no rest after playing the league games and then the CWC. In addition to this, the two club per country rule in Europe should change as top clubs may suffer because of that.
Overall, it would be interesting to see how the tournament is planned. Will FIFA increase spots? Can Chelsea defeat PSG in the 2025 CWC final?
Share your opinion in the comments below…
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