14/6/2025–|Last update: 23:55 (Mecca time)
There is a question that arises before the start of the World Cup football matches 2025: How do not share big teams that presented levels and crowned big championships this year such as Barcelona and Liverpool, and in return some small teams such as the Austrian Salzburg, or who did not achieve continental championships or even the local championship such as Inter Miami and Chelsea?
The World Cup clubs are held in its new expanded version with the participation of 32 teams on 11 stadiums in the United States, between June 15, 2025 and July 13 of the same year.
The secret of excluding Barcelona and Liverpool
The FIFA rules (FIFA) stipulates that only two teams from each country participate in the championship. In addition, FIFA has allocated European seats to the World Cup Clubs for the teams that crowned the Champions League title from 2021 to 2024 only, meaning that the champion of the 2025 edition will not participate, while the rest of the teams participate in the classification of the European Football Association (UEFA) clubs in the same period.
Chelsea is participating as the Champions League 2020-2021 champions, while Inter Miami gave him FIFA, the host country seat.
Barcelona did not participate, despite its crowning of all local championships in Spain, 2024-2025 season, and Liverpool, the Premier League champion in the same season, in this tournament because they did not achieve the European title during the period set by FIFA (from 2021 to 2024).
The Spanish newspaper “AS” reported that it was hoped that Barcelona and Arsenal in the Champions League, because they will not participate in the Club World Cup.
She explained that even if Barcelona – who is not participating mainly in the World Cup clubs, won the Champions League title – the tournament will witness a strange scenario represented in the inability of the best European team to compete for the world title.
Even Arsenal crowned the “Ears” cup will be a big blow to FIFA because the new tournament “will lose its credibility” for not participating in it, according to the same newspaper.
Did FIFA Messi compliment?
FIFA was accused of choosing the American Inter Miami team in the World Cup clubs courtesy of the Argentine star Lionel Messi (according to press reports) and FIFA responded by publishing the list of teams and the reasons for its selection, including the Messi team to represent the United States, taking advantage of the standard of the host country seat that FIFA set, but the question that arises: If Messi was not playing in this team, he would be chosen as a representative of America?
Here are the 32 teams participating in the club’s World Cup and the reason for choosing:
- Al-Ahly (Egypt)-African Champions League 2020-21, 2022-23, and 2023-2024
- Wydad (Morocco)-African Champions League 2021-2022
- Esperance (Tunisia) – The Classification Path of the African Football Confederation
- Sun Downs (South Africa) – Classification Path of the Confederation of African Football
- Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) – AFC Champions League 2021
- Urawa Reed Diamonds (Japan) – AFC Champions League 2022-2024
- Al Ain (Emirates) – AFC Champions League 2023 – 2024
- Ulsan Hyundai (South Korea) – AFC Classification Path
- Chelsea (England)-Champions League 2020-2021
- Real Madrid (Spain)-Champions League 2021-2022
- Manchester City (England)-Champions League 2022-2023
- Bayern Munich (Germany) – European Football Association classification path
- Saint -Germain (France) – European Football Association classification path
- Inter Milan (Italy) – European Football Association classification path
- Porto (Portugal) – European Football Association classification path
- Benfica (Portugal) – European Football Association classification path
- Juventus (Italy) – European Football Association classification path
- Borussia Dortmund (Germany)- European Football Association classification path
- Atletico Madrid (Spain) – European Football Association classification path
- Salzburg (Austria) – European Football Association classification path
- Monterrey (Mexico) – CONCACAF Cup 2021
- Seattle Soundarrs (United States) – CONCACAF Cup 2022
- Pachuca (Mexico) – CONCACAF Cup 2024
- Auckland City (New Zealand) – The Oceania Football Association classification path
- Palmeiras (Brazil) – Libertadores Cup 2021
- Flamingo (Brazil) – Libertadores Cup 2022
- Fluminness (Brazil) – Libertadores Cup 2023
- Potafogo (Brazil) – Libertadores Cup 2024
- River Plate (Argentina) – Classification Path of the South America Federation (Conmebol)
- Boca Juniors (Argentina) – The Classification Path of the Confumbol Union
- Inter Miami (United States) – the host country seat
- Los Angeles Football (United States) – The World Cup Rehabilitation Clubs match to compensate the Mexican Leon, which FIFA excluded from the tournament