FIFA is set to launch a new format for the Club World Cup consisting of 32 teams in 2025. The new Club World Cup idea, which was originally slated to debut in China in 2021 with 24 clubs, would now have an even wider field starting in June 2025 due to the epidemic. 32 teams are split up into eight groups of four under the current World Cup system, which has been in place since 1998. Instead, the FIFA Council chose to divide the countries into 16 groups of three, which will provide a 48-team competition in four years. Infantino hinted at a potential modification to the group stage format for the first time since his divisive comments on the competition’s eve. This comes after the dramatic group stage finale in Qatar.
“It has been decided to use a 48-team World Cup format with 16 groups of three teams, from which the top two would proceed to a knockout round of 32, then 16, eight, four, and finally two,” FIFA president said about the Club World Cup. “I must admit that after watching this World Cup and observing the success of the four-team groups as well as other competitions, like the Euros, where there are 24 teams and the top two teams together with the best third team go to the next round.”
FIFA has not formally offered the expanded Club World Cup in 2025 or the expanded World Cup for men in 2026 to the Premier League. The Premier League is open to continuing its communication with FIFA through the World League’s Forum in order to ensure that there are no significant changes to the international calendar that will have an effect on the domestic league structure and player welfare. They anticipate having substantial agreements with the leagues before anything is decided.
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