The FIFA Council held a meeting in Kigali (Rwanda) on Tuesday and took a number of key decisions, including changing the format of the World Cup to 48 teams (12 groups of four) for 2026 and approving a new 32-team Club World Cup in 2025, according to BeSoccer.
In view of the competition, world football’s governing body confirmed the nine clubs currently qualified: Real Madrid (Spain), Chelsea (England), Palmeiras (Brazil), Flamengo (Brazil), Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Monterrey (Mexico) and Seattle Sounders (USA).
‘Los Blancos’ earned their ticket to the new format of the competition by winning the Champions League in one of the four years prior to the tournament. The ‘Merengues’ lifted the UCL trophy in Paris against Liverpool in 2021-22.
The best 32 teams on the earth are in the new Club World Cup to be played between June and July 2025. There are still 23 tickets awaiting their owner.
The places allocated to each federation were as follows: 12 places for UEFA, six for CONMEBOL, four for AFC (Asia), four for CAF (Africa), four for CONCACAF (Central and North America), one for OFC (Oceania) and one for the tournament host.