What is FIFA’s criteria for determining Club World Cup

The Club World Cup is about to begin, and the 32 qualified clubs are already preparing for the new competition organized by FIFA. Teams from five continents, representing the six international football confederations—AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC, and UEFA—will participate, all meeting FIFA’s pre-established criteria.

Representing Brazil, Botafogo, Palmeiras, Flamengo, and Fluminense will be present at the tournament, all vying for their first-ever title. In addition, Boca Juniors and River Plate will also represent South America.

Each confederation had a set number of spots to fill. CONMEBOL, for example, had six, as did CONCACAF. UEFA, however, had the most slots in the competition: 12. The tournament draw was held later by lottery.

But after all, what are the criteria used by FIFA for a club to participate in the inaugural edition of the Club World Cup?

Qualification Can Be by Ranking or Continental Title

There were two ways to qualify for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup: either by winning a continental championship between 2021 and 2024, or by being among the top teams in FIFA’s ranking during the same period.

As a result, 16 clubs qualified under each criterion. The four Brazilian teams secured their spots by winning the Copa Libertadores during this window.

See all clubs that qualified as continental champions

• Al Ahly (Egypt) – CAF Champions League winner 2020-21 and 2022-23

• Wydad (Morocco) – CAF Champions League winner 2021-22

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

• Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) – AFC Champions League winner 2022

• Al Ain (United Arab Emirates) – AFC Champions League winner 2024

• Chelsea (England) – UEFA Champions League winner 2020-21

• Real Madrid (Spain) – UEFA Champions League winner 2021-22 and 2023-24

• Manchester City (England) – UEFA Champions League winner 2022-23

• Monterrey (Mexico) – CONCACAF Champions League winner 2021

• Seattle Sounders (USA) – CONCACAF Champions League winner 2022

• Los Angeles FC (USA) – winner of the playoff between the two teams

• Pachuca (Mexico) – CONCACAF Champions League winner 2024

• Palmeiras (Brazil) – Copa Libertadores winner 2021

• Flamengo (Brazil) – Copa Libertadores winner 2022

• Fluminense (Brazil) – Copa Libertadores winner 2023

• Botafogo (Brazil) – Copa Libertadores winner 2024

Meanwhile, River Plate and Boca Juniors, South America’s other representatives, secured their spots through FIFA’s ranking. CONMEBOL had six available slots, and since the Brazilian teams had already filled their quota, the remaining two spots went to the Argentine clubs with the best performances in continental competitions in recent years.

The Xeneizes were finalists in the 2023 Libertadores, while the Millonarios reached the semifinals in 2024 and participated in every Libertadores knockout stage during the period.

See all clubs classified via ranking

Bayern Munich (Germany) – via UEFA rankingsParis Saint-Germain (France) – via UEFA rankingInter Milan (Italy) – via UEFA rankingsPorto (Portugal) – via UEFA rankingsBenfica (Portugal) – via UEFA rankingsBorussia Dortmund (Germany) – via UEFA rankingsJuventus (Italy) – via UEFA rankingsAtletico de Madrid (Spain) – via UEFA rankingsFC Salzburg (Austria) – via UEFA rankingsAuckland City (New Zealand) – via OFC rankingsUlsan (South Korea) – via AFC rankingsEsperance (Tunisia) – via CAF rankingMamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) – via CAF rankingsRiver Plate (Argentina) – via CONMEBOL rankingBoca Juniors (Argentina) – via CONMEBOL ranking

How does the FIFA Club World Cup ranking work?

FIFA established a methodology to organize the ranking that determines which teams qualify for the Club World Cup. The last four seasons, starting from the group stage of each continental competition, were taken into account. Under this system, the following points were awarded:

• Three points for a win

• One point for a draw

• Three points for advancing to the next stage

For European clubs, since three and a half seasons of the Champions League had already been played, a pre-existing confederation coefficient was used, with the following methodology:

• Two points for a win

• One point for a draw

• Four points for qualifying for the group stage

• Five points for reaching the round of 16

• One point for advancing past the round of 16

What is the qualification criteria?

Confederations with more than four spots (CONMEBOL and UEFA) determined their qualifiers as follows:

• Champions of the confederation’s most prestigious club tournament

• Clubs with the highest ranking within the confederation

• If there were repeat champions of the confederation’s top club tournament, the next highest-ranked clubs would qualify

Confederations with four or fewer spots (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, and OFC) qualified teams as follows:

• Clubs with the highest ranking among the champions of the confederation’s top club tournament

Additionally, FIFA imposed some extra criteria, including:

• There was a limit of two clubs per country in the competition, which could only be exceeded if more than two clubs from the same nation won the confederation’s top club tournament during the four-year period.

• The host country’s spot for 2025 was awarded to the winner of the 2024 MLS Supporters’ Cup.

• In the event of a tie in the ranking, the tiebreakers were:

• 1. Best single result during the qualification period;

• 2. Most recent best result;

• 3. Highest goal difference;

• 4. Most goals scored.

This article was initially published on Trivela.

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