“They do as they please. The FA should deduct 20 points from all these teams, especially Manchester City, Chelsea, and Liverpool FC, for shady business. This is shameful. Manchester United legend Gary Neville calls the Premier League’s Big Six teams “bullies
Reports say that if either Manchester United or Liverpool win the Champions League next season, they will not be able to play in the redesigned Club World Cup in 2025.
In order to bring life back to its top club competition, FIFA has big plans for after the 2023 version, which is currently taking place in Saudi Arabia. The current format, which pits continental champions every year, has had trouble gaining wide support because Champions League winners have dominated the competition since it began in 2000.
Manchester City will play Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds in the Club World Cup semi-finals next week. The winner will either be Fluminense from Brazil or Al Ahly from Egypt. FIFA wants to increase the number of teams from seven to 32 for the 2025 event in the United States. The tournament is held every four years. The league’s ruling body wants to let only two clubs from each country in, and Champions League winners from the last four years will be given priority.
Chelsea and Manchester City, both from England, are currently in first and second place thanks to their wins in the 2021 Champions League and other European competitions. But FIFA might change its mind if a country has more than two continental winners during a qualifying spell. In other words, Arsenal would be able to play in the 2025 Club World Cup if they win the Champions League this year.
Teams like Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Liverpool, or Tottenham aren’t likely to be in this year’s tournament because they aren’t in the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
FIFA recently laid out the rules for qualifying for the 2025 Club World Cup at a meeting in Jeddah. Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Chelsea all got into the tournament because they won the Champions League in 2022. Twelve European teams have been invited, and nine more were chosen based on how well they did in the Champions League since 2020. Benfica, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, and Porto are all confirmed to play.
Teams like Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, Barcelona, Juventus, Napoli, Red Bull Salzburg, Lazio, Arsenal, Copenhagen, Real Sociedad, and PSV still have a chance to make it by winning the Champions League this year.
