DBasia.news – A move has been made by FIFA to add interest to the Club World Cup. The world football federation has plans to increase the number of participants to 32 teams.
The Club World Cup is still considered less prestigious than similar tournaments at the country level. Even though this event was attended by the best teams from every continent.
Too much difference in level between representatives of Europe and South America with representatives of other continents is one reason. The Club World Cup title seems to be just a bone of contention for the two world football powers.
These conditions make the Club World Cup less attractive to spectators and sponsors. This is what triggers FIFA as the organizer to change the format of the competition.
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, has just announced an increase in the number of Club World Cup participants to 32 teams. However, this will only be implemented in 2025.
“The new men’s Club World Cup will take place in 2025 and will feature 32 teams. The 32-team tournament will continue, making it look like the World Cup,” Infantino said at a press conference ahead of the 2022 World Cup final.
Infantino has not explained in detail the format of the tournament with 32 participants. But the system doesn’t seem to be much different from the country’s version of the World Cup.
That means, there will be more European and South American representatives taking part in this new format tournament. However, it is still unknown how to determine which team is entitled to appear in the Club World Cup.
However, FIFA’s latest breakthrough reportedly received rejection from UEFA and the majority of Europe’s big clubs. The new format for the Club World Cup can disrupt their regular competition schedule which has been neatly arranged.