Which teams have qualified for the expanded FIFA Club World Cup?

Liverpool, who were held to a goalless draw by Manchester United on Sunday night, faced a double blow. They not only missed a golden opportunity to reclaim the top spot in the league, allowing their arch-rivals to bounce back after weeks of horror shows, but also received the devastating news that they have been excluded from the first edition of the expanded Club World Cup in 2025.  

FIFA, during a council meeting, confirmed that only Manchester City and Chelsea would be the Premier League teams guaranteed participation. These two English giants, along with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid, secured automatic qualification as the most recent Champions League winners within the four-year cycle.  

Furthermore, if Arsenal were to emerge victorious in this season's Champions League, they would also be granted entry. German champions Bayern Munich, French Ligue 1 winners Paris St-Germain, Italian behemoth Inter Milan, and Portuguese heavyweights Porto and Benfica have also secured places in the tournament through the coefficient pathway.

Meanwhile, Asian Champions League winners Al Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds; African Champions League winners Al Ahly, Wydad AC; and Copa Libertadores winners Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense have also qualified for the 2025 tournament. 

The current Club World Cup follows a staggered knockout format, consisting of seven teams who enter at different stages of the competition. It begins with the first round, where the hosts face off against the Oceania club champions.

The winner then progresses to the quarterfinals, where the champions from North America, Asia and Africa join the tournament. Finally, in the semifinals, the winners of the European and South American continental titles commence their campaigns. 

However, the tournament is set to undergo a revamp. In the new format, which will take place every four years instead of annually, no Club World Cup will be held in 2024. The revamped tournament will debut in 2025 and will be hosted in the United States from June 15 to July 1.

In this edition, there will be a notable increase in the representation from Europe, with 12 teams participating. South America will have six teams, while North America/Central America, Asia and Africa will each have four teams. Oceania will have one representative. 

The final slot will be given to a team from the host country, although the specific team has yet to be determined. The tournament format will mirror that of the World Cup, featuring eight groups consisting of four teams each, followed by a knockout stage involving the top 16 teams. 

The expansion of the Club World Cup with an increased number of teams and matches has raised concerns regarding player welfare, particularly in Europe where the Champions League group stage is already set to be expanded in the upcoming season, further congesting an already busy schedule.  

In response to these concerns, Fifpro, the world players' union, issued a statement expressing worry over the potential disregard for players' well-being and their personal and family lives.

"The expanded competition will undercut the rest and recovery time of these players at the end of the 2024-25 season and further disrupt national employment markets by changing the balance between national and international competitions," said Fifpro. 

"Players will have to perform at the end of an 11-month season with little prospect of getting enough rest before the following season starts," it added. "The extreme mental and physical pressures at the pinnacle of the game is the principal concern of players with multiple club and national team competitions, leading to exhaustion, physical injuries, mental health issues, diminished performance and risks to career longevity."