FIFA Club World Cup ‘to expand’ to 48 teams in 2029, with Flamengo already qualified | OneFootball

FIFA is studying an overhaul of the Club World Cup that could lift the field from 32 to 48 teams from 2029, The Guardian reports.

The proposal forms part of a wider reshaping of a tournament recently expanded to include more clubs from across the globe. It would largely benefit European football.

A new partnership with European Football Clubs, which will help operate the event, is seen as accelerating the expansion debate.

EFC, chaired by PSG’s Nasser Al-Khelaifi and representing more than 700 clubs, already works commercially with UEFA. That collaboration model could be mirrored at the Club World Cup, influencing extra berths and format changes.

European sides are pushing for greater representation after strong returns from the latest edition. Chelsea, the champions, earned about 84 million pounds in prize money.

Any expansion would reopen talks on country caps. In the United States, Europe had 12 participants, yet Liverpool, Barcelona and Napoli still missed out. Selection currently weighs recent Champions League results and UEFA ranking, with a limit of up to two clubs per country.

EFC argues that more European clubs would raise the event’s commercial value amid broadcast rights challenges. FIFA has already agreed a global deal worth about 1 billion dollars with DAZN.

Meanwhile, Flamengo have secured their place at the next FIFA Club World Cup by winning the 2025 Libertadores, regardless of any future format changes.

Source: Coluna Do Fla