Club World Cup 2029, FIFA considering three teams per country | OneFootball

The upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, scheduled for 2029, could revolutionize one of the historical constraints of the competition: the limit of two teams from the same nation.

Club World Cup 2029, FIFA considers increasing teams per nation to three

Currently, more than two teams can participate only if they are among the continental winners of the last four years, as happened with Brazil, which saw four clubs qualify.

According to The Times, FIFA is considering raising this limit to three teams per nation, a choice that also receives support from UEFA led by Aleksander Ceferin.

However, Gianni Infantino's FIFA faces resistance on other fronts. The idea of increasing the overall number of participants or holding the tournament every two years, instead of every four as currently planned, is strongly opposed by the European body.

Why increase the team limit per nation

The current format of the Club World Cup does not always allow for the presence of the best clubs in the world, especially when some national champions have not won the Champions League or another significant continental title in the last four years.

For 2025, for example, clubs like Barcelona, Liverpool, and Napoli risk being excluded if the limit of two teams per nation is maintained. Increasing it to three would ensure the participation of top clubs and would strengthen the tournament's image as a true global competition of the best clubs.

Possible expansion and controversies

It is not ruled out that the 2029 Club World Cup could reach 48 teams. In this scenario, FIFA would have to overcome UEFA's opposition, while support from the European Club Association (ECA), led by Nasser Al-Khelaifi, would be an advantage.

FIFA could mitigate European concerns by maintaining the tournament's frequency at four years, avoiding interference with the Champions League.

Next steps

Discussions on possible changes will have an official moment at today's FIFA Council, although it is unlikely that definitive decisions will be made. Gianni Infantino aims to leverage international consensus outside of Europe to support the reforms.

FIFA's goal is clear: to make the Club World Cup a more inclusive competition that represents the best global clubs, without penalizing the most competitive national leagues.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.