Club World Cup format to be changed (BTEC Super League)

[2Smokeyy]

Gianni Infantino says FIFA will launch a new 32-team men's Club World Cup starting in 2025 and revealed they will 'rediscuss' the 2026 World Cup group stage format.

The new Club World Cup concept was initially meant to launch in China in 2021 with 24 teams but was cancelled due to the pandemic - and is now set for a further expansion from June 2025.

Meanwhile, the current World Cup format, in place since 1998 which sees 32 teams drawn into eight groups of four, is also set to change at the expanded 48-team tournament in four years' time with the FIFA Council choosing in 2017 for the nations to be split into 16 groups of three.

However, after the dramatic finale to the group stages in Qatar, Infantino, speaking at a press conference for the first time since his controversial speech on the eve of the tournament, revealed the group stage format could yet change.

Infantino said: "We have approved a 48-team World Cup format with 16 groups of three, of which the top two would then move to a knockout phase of 32, followed by 16, eight, four and then two.

Infantino, who branded the Qatar World Cup as the "best ever", revealed a number of decisions following a FIFA council meeting, including plans to launch a new friendly 'World Series' tournament to take place in even years involving four teams, each selected from four different confederations.

The FIFA president confirmed the 2022 Club World Cup will be held in Morocco in February next year and will feature seven teams, including Real Madrid as European champions. The larger competition, set for 2025, will take place every four years.

The international match calendar will also be altered from 2025, with one extended break spanning four matches in late September and early October replacing two separate windows in September and October. The other windows in November, March and June would remain unchanged.

The hosts for the men's World Cup in 2030 will be decided in 2024 and the Women's World Cup for 2031 will be decided in 2025. Infantino announced a desire to create a new women's Club World Cup and a new Futsal Women's World Cup every four years.

"The details of the location still need to be discussed but it has been agreed and decided that a 32-team Club World Cup tournament will go ahead making it like a World Cup.

"I don't know what the British press says or doesn't say, but I know what we've decided and that is that there will be a Club World Cup of 32 teams to be played every four years and the first edition will take place in 2025 in the summer.

"During that slot where in other years it would be the Confederations Cup, it will be slightly longer because there are 32 teams so it will last a bit longer but they will be the best teams in the world who will all be invited to participate.

"But all of the details will be developed in due course and we will decide where it will take place as well over the next few weeks or months in consultation with all of the stakeholders.

"The FIFA Council has taken the decision now as a matter of principle to hold that Club World Cup. Don't forget that we were the only football organisation in the world, at least at international level, not to have organised a competition during the pandemic.

"Everyone else postponed their competitions but then shortened them or played them [at a later date] but we had a Club World Cup planned in 2020 with 24 teams that was cancelled. It wasn't replaced or postponed, and we did that because we wanted to allow for the Copa America, the European Championships and we wanted to protect the health and well-being of players.

"We didn't want to over-burden the calendar. That brings me to another issue and allows me to underscore that when we talk about the [FIFA] product over the next four years, the Club World Cup is not included in that $11bn forecast. That forecast is without taking into account this Club World Cup. So I think we're going to have an even greater sum that we'll be able to invest in world football over the next four years."

Super League was so clear of this.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

This just another useless waste of time corrupt competition because fifa will earn too much money.

 

[Tir Na Nog]

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Super League was so clear of this.

Too late, everyone took the side of UEFA and FIFA because it was those clubs that were the greedy ones.

As usual Perez was ahead of the curve but no one wanted to know.

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Also seriously dissapointed by mister wenger he shouldn't accept these ideas should've slapped Infantino bald head.

 

[Rex Stone]

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Super League was so clear of this.

A way to try and placate the teams.

Don’t see it sticking, the clubs have all the power and can cut UEFA and FIFA whenever they want.

 

[REWB]

This is a good idea, id like the club world cup to be bigger than the CL in the future.

 

[Entropics]

Good stuff, FIFA finally flexing its power to show the European leagues who is boss

 

[A_G]

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

amazing news for the players more games to play! and pretty sure the the first competition will be hold in Saudi Arabia because we all know that what gonna happen

after all that complaining from players the fifa seriously give no f**k

 

[Paperino]

Football is like chocolate. If you eat it once or twice or maybe even thrice a week you enjoy it but if you eat it every fvcking day it will taste awful very soon. This is madness.

 

[MartiSaka]

amazing news for the players more games to play! and pretty sure the the first competition will be hold in Saudi Arabia because we all know that what gonna happen

after all that complaining from players the fifa seriously give no f**k

So there essentially there will be a big tournament every summer whether it’s the euros, World Cup or this club tournament. Assuming they will run it every second yr in between the international team tournaments.

Do we really need this when there is a champions league? Guess supporters from Americas, Asia and most of all who this was created for, Saudi Arabia, to see their teams take on the big boys, but really there is too much football

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

So there essentially there will be a big tournament every summer whether it’s the euros, World Cup or this club tournament. Assuming they will run it every second yr in between the international team tournaments. Do we really need this?

The football don't need this competition at all what the purpose of it? There so many competition to play already

 

[field442]

MOST european clubs will just make it part of their preseason and devalue the competition anyway.

 

[MartiSaka]

The football don't need this competition at all what the purpose of it? There so many competition to play already

Created for Saudi Arabia as they can’t play CL.

 

[Rex Stone]

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Chelsea will be in this tournament despite the very real possibility they won’t have played any European football for two years

 

[Yousif Arsenal]

Created for Saudi Arabia as they can’t play CL.

I can't see it will be hold there every year lol unless the fifa seriously that greedy

 

[Vinci]

Great idea.

Should also be looking into expanding the PL to 24 clubs, having a WC or EC every other year and perhaps a competition with the best 8 from the CL, EL and Conference League.

 

[MartiSaka]

I can't see it will be hold there every year lol unless the fifa seriously that greedy

Doesn't have to be played their in Saudi Arabia necessarily all the tim. It the reputation you can generate by your clubs competing and doing well against the top European clubs

 

[Sulosky]

Football is like chocolate. If you eat it once or twice or maybe even thrice a week you enjoy it but if you eat it every fvcking day it will taste awful very soon. This is madness.

Football is like having sex. Every now and then it's really nice, but if you have to do it constantly, somewhere in between it starts to get weirdly itchy.

 

[dashsnow17]

No one in UK ever cared about club world cup anyway, doesn’t have any prestige whatsoever.