Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has stated that the Champions League winners are eager to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup and his remarks about declining participation were a misunderstanding. Italy’s Il Giornale quoted Ancelotti in an interview saying that the prize money allocated by FIFA for the FIFA Club World Cup is insufficient for the 15-time Champions League winners to participate and improve the tournament with 32 teams.
However, shortly after, the Italian tactician clarified the matter on his personal social media account.
“My statements regarding the FIFA Club World Cup were not translated accurately. I would never refuse the opportunity to play in a tournament that I consider a great chance to continue the fight for major titles with Real Madrid,” shared coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Following the incident, Real Madrid’s official website also affirmed the club’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup: “We will participate in the tournament as planned. Real Madrid comes to this official tournament with pride and maximum enthusiasm to once again make millions of fans worldwide dream of a new title.
The FIFA Club World Cup faced strong backlash when expanding the total number of participating clubs from 7 to 32 clubs starting from 2025. Many players and coaches from various clubs have warned of boycotting the tournament due to concerns about an overloaded schedule. FIFA stated they will not consider rescheduling the FIFA Club World Cup with 32 teams after the Global Player’s Union (FIFPRO) and World Leagues Association (WLA) threatened legal action if FIFA does not reconsider its plans.
In the current version, the FIFA Club World Cup has 7 participating teams, including champions from different regions (Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, Oceania, CONCACAF, and the host nation’s club).
The expanded version with 32 clubs is likely to follow a format similar to the FIFA World Cup. Teams will be divided into 8 groups with a total of 64 matches, including the third-place playoff. The tournament will also be held once every 4 years instead of annually as it is now.
Among the 32 participating clubs, Europe will have 12 slots, comprising champions of the UEFA Champions League from the past 4 seasons. This means Real Madrid (2002, 2004), Man City (2023), and Chelsea (2021) have secured their spots. The remaining slots for Europe will be determined based on the UEFA coefficient rankings over the past 4 years.
In other regions, South America will have 6 slots, while AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), and CONCACAF (North and Central America & Caribbean) will each have 4 representatives. OFC (Oceania) and the host association will each have one club participating. As the host nation, the United States falls under CONCACAF, hence this region will have 5 clubs competing.