Change is coming – but you’re not going to like it
The Club World Cup. One of those tournaments that most of us will likely never see our team play in – and even if you’re lucky enough to have watched your team in it, is not exactly a defining moment of the season.
For European clubs especially, it seems to be more of an interference to the regular schedule. Whereas for other participants around the world, it’s a great opportunity to claim a scalp against one of the bigger footballing powerhouses.
But that’s all about to change. It’s out with the old and in with the new at FIFA. In 2019 they announced that the Club World Cup would be revamped – with a new-look format starting in 2024.
If you’ve played Football Manager, you’ll already know about the changes and just how infuriating they are. But, if you’re not aware of the new format, allow us to explain just why you’re going to hate it so much.
What does it look like?
Currently the Club World Cup runs once a season and features the winner of the Champions League in each of the respective six footballing confederations, as well as the winner of the host nation’s domestic league (in this year’s case, Qatar).
But in 2024, FIFA will scrap that model. Instead, the tournament will grow from featuring seven teams to 24, and run every four years.
Similarly to the international World Cup, the teams will be split into eight groups of three teams – with the winners of each group advancing to the knockouts, which will begin at a quarter-final stage.
The tournament will take place between June and July – when the Confederations Cup would usually be held, with FIFA deciding to abandon that tournament due to the lack of interest in it.
How do you qualify for the Club World Cup?
As it stands, FIFA have yet to confirm how you will qualify for the tournament (great planning guys) but according to Reuters, qualification will be based on a team’s performance in their continental competitions over the course of the last four seasons.
While the official number of teams who can qualify from respective confederations has yet to be confirmed, it is likely that the 24 teams will consist of:
- Eight European teams
- Six South American teams
- Three African teams
- Three Asian teams
- Three North/Central American teams
- One Oceanic team
What has been the reaction to it?
The majority of the reaction to the change has been a feeling of disappointment. In particular, clubs in Europe and UEFA themselves are opposed to the changes.
This is largely down to the fact that the international match calendar is currently scheduled up to 2024. The European Club Association also released a statement in 2021 opposing the changes. 15 clubs including the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona signed the letter.
“The main priority at this stage must be for stakeholders to engage in a detailed assessment of how the landscape of international football might evolve post-2024 prior to addressing specific competitions,” said ECA Chairman Andrea Agnelli.
“FIFA’s decision to revamp its Club World Cup starting 2021 is one ECA cannot support.”
There are also some concerns in South America, but the confederations featuring sides who are unlikely to advance far in the tournament seem to be in favour.
This is largely down to the exposure smaller clubs will get from playing in the competition, and the rare opportunity the Club World Cup gives them to play one of the globally acclaimed teams in the elite European leagues.
What have FIFA said about it?
As expected, FIFA president Gianni Infantino believes the new-look tournament will be a positive step forward for the future of football.
“The world will see a real Club World Cup where the best teams in the world will compete for the crown of world champion,” he told people at the launch in 2019.
“This is important because, of course, club football is evolving. It’s moving at difference paces in different parts of the world and it is our duty and responsibility to make sure that we encourage professional club football all over the world.
“We want to have an exciting competition, we want to have a prestigious competition, we want to have an inclusive competition and we will have this starting in 2021.”
Overall, it’s one of those that isn’t going to make a dramatic change to our lives in the UK. The clamour for the Club World Cup in this country isn’t all that much.
If you’re having any doubts about that, Chelsea’s games are being shown live on E4–sandwiched between re-runs of some of the worst sitcoms on TV.
It will likely become a major frustration to both managers of domestic clubs and international managers around the world. Given that the tournament is set to take place across June/early July, a time when most players are away on their well-earned breaks ahead of pre-season, recovery time from the exhausting season just gone will become minimal.
Most likely, the changes have been made in order to generate a great appeal to the competition and encourage more people to watch it. Oh, and to make FIFA some more money, obviously.
That’s only likely to anger club teams when their star player gets injured in a group stage fixture against the runners up of the Copa Libertadores.
It’s hard to imagine fans will be overly invested either. Not many people are too concerned about booking an ‘away day’ for the Club World Cup and that probably won’t change any time soon.
