Manchester City look set to benefit from FIFA’s decision to reform the Club World Cup.
The Club World Cup has been an afterthought for many clubs over the years, with the Champions League winners getting access on behalf of European clubs. The tournament takes place in the winter, and it’s not all that difficult for Champions League winners to win. That’s because the European representative enters at the semi-final stage, needing to win just two games to be crowned champion.
Real Madrid were recently crowned champions of the 2022 edition, and the competition will remain the same for the next couple of years, but it will be reformed in 2025. As part of those changes, there will be 32 teams involved from 2025, and The Times have detailed the likely qualification procedures.
They say eight of the 12 European spots will be decided by coefficient rankings, while the other four places will be the Champions League winners from 2022 to 2025. Crucially, though, there would be just two teams per country to make sure there is diversity in the competition.
It’s not clear when the cut-off point would be, but to give an idea, Bayern Munich are currently top of UEFA’s club coefficients, while Manchester City are second. Liverpool are currently third, with Chelsea fourth and Paris Saint-Germain fifth.
If the plans are accurate, if one English team was to win the Champions League in the next three years, the leading coefficient team from the Premier League would also qualify, while if two different English teams with UEFA’s biggest tournament during that time, the coefficient rankings would make no difference for the 2025 edition of the Club World Cup.
City will be hoping they can win the Champions League over the coming years, but they should have a safety net if they fail to do so, given their coefficient rankings and the likelihood they will remain near the top. Meanwhile, Manchester United have plenty of ground to make up, currently in eighth place and 34,000 points behind Liverpool in third place.
The venue for the 2025 competition has not yet been confirmed, while the Premier League and The World Leagues Forum are opposed to the reforms, claiming there has been no consultation with FIFA.
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