Fifa to expand Club World Cup to 32 teams from 2025

Gianni Infantino announced the revamped competition in a press conference ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has announced an expanded Club World Cup competition which will involve 32 teams from 2025.

The head of Fifa had planned an expansion of the competition in late 2017 - set to be played in China in 2021 with 24 teams - but the tournament was postponed due to scheduling issues caused by the Covid pandemic.

Yet Infantino seems to have got one of his most radical proposals back on track and announced the latest plan at a press conference in Qatar ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final between Argentina and France.

Infantino said: “The new men’s Club World Cup will take place in 2025 and will feature 32 teams. The 32-team tournament will go ahead, making it like the current World Cup.”

The current competition simply pits the winners of each confederation’s premier club competition, as well as the host champions, against each other. 2021 Champions League winners Chelsea are the current Club World Cup holders after beating 2021 Copa Libertadores winners Palmeiras in Abu Dhabi in February.

The details, format and host nation of the 2025 Club World Cup are yet to be decided, though the USA are thought to be the frontrunners to host. Infantino has pressed ahead with the plans despite not receiving aproval from Europe’s top clubs, as reported in the Daily Mail last week.

The Premier League last year unanimously opposed any reform to the International Match Calendar post-2024, including plans to significantly extend international windows.

Richard Masters, Premier League chief executive, said: “The Premier League is committed to preventing any radical changes to the post-2024 FIFA International Match Calendar that would adversely affect player welfare and threaten the competitiveness, calendar, structures and traditions of domestic football.

Chelsea are the Club World Cup holders after beating Palmeiras in February (Getty Images)

“We are open to reforms and new ideas, but they must enhance the complementary balance between domestic and international football in order to improve the game at all levels.

“This process should also involve meaningful agreements with the leagues that provide the foundations for the game.”

Fifa also confirmed that the planned 48-team, groups-of-three format for the 2026 Fifa World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico would be revisisted given the success of the dramatic four-team group-phase in Qatar.

The Fifa boss also announced proposals for a Women’s Club World Cup, a new four-team event called the World Series with international teams from separate confederations - and added that Morocco will host the 2022 Men’s Club World Cup in February.