KIGALI/ZURICH: Clubs from all six of FIFA’s confederations are assured of participating in the inaugural expanded 2025 tournament after the access blueprint was unanimously agreed by FIFA Council in Rwanda on the eve of the world federation’s congress.

The initial decision to revise the format of the competition to a 32-team tournament that takes place every four years was taken by the FIFA Council in December 2022, and after meeting in advance of the 73rd FIFA Congress in Kigali, the body has now laid out how the field will be determined for the 2025 tournament.

In the four seasons preceding the tournament, the winners of the premier club competition in five of FIFA’s six confederations will earn an automatic ticket. Oceania is the only exception with their representative determined by results of the winners of the premier club competition across the whole of the four-year qualifying period.

The confirmed clubs set to take part are:

•           Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) – Champions AFC Champions League 2021

•           Al Ahly (Egypt) – Champions CAF Champions League 2020/21

•           Wydad Casablanca (Morocco) – Champions CAF Champions League 2021/22

•           Monterrey (Mexico) – Champions Concacaf Champions League 2021

•           Seattle Sounders (USA) – Champions Concacaf Champions League 2022

•           Palmeiras (Brazil) – Champions CONMEBOL Copa Libtertadores 2021

•           Flamengo (Brazil) – Champions CONMEBOL Copa Libtertadores 2022

•           Chelsea FC (England) – Champions UEFA Champions League 2020/21

•           Real Madrid CF (Spain) – Champions UEFA Champions League 2021/22

Auckland City FC, the 2022 OFC Champions League winners, could feature again depending on future results. 

As a result of having won the UEFA Champions League in the years they claimed the FIFA Club World Cup™, 2021 winners Chelsea and the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup™ champions Real Madrid, are already assured of their places in the 2025 showcase as two of Europe’s 12 representatives.

FIFA Club World Cup silver medallists two years ago, Palmeiras, and current bronze medallists, fellow Brazilians Flamengo, respectively the Copa Libertadores champions in 2021 and 2022, also know they will fill two of CONMEBOL’s six slots for the 2025 tournament.

Monterrey and Seattle Sounders FC, victors in the Concacaf Champions League in the same years, will make up half of the North, Central American and Caribbean delegation. That also goes for their Confederation of African Football (CAF) counterparts Al Ahly and Wydad Casablanca, while 2021 AFC Champions League victors Al-Hilal are the only one of the quartet of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) representatives currently certain to feature in summer 2025.

The tournament host will complete the 32-strong field (AFC: 4, CAF; 4, Concacaf: 4, OFC: 1, South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL): 6, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA): 12, Host country: 1).

In the event the same club wins their confederation’s premier club competition on more than one occasion, club ranking within that confederation over the four-year period will determine the next participant. The club ranking will be used to define which teams complete the European and South American quotas of representatives.

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