FIFA's expanded Club World Cup tournament will pit some of the most famous sides in the world against one another in 2025.
The new 32-team tournament, which will take place in June and July in the United States, will include Real Madrid, Manchester City — two recent winners of the UEFA Champions League — plus the likes of Boca Juniors and Lionel Messi's Inter Miami.
Interestingly, the field also includes teams who have never won the UEFA Champions League, such as Atletico Madrid and Red Bull Salzburg. There is no room for six-time European champions Liverpool, though.
So, why did Arne Slot's Premier League champions not qualify? The Sporting News explains.
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Why are Liverpool not playing at Club World Cup 2025?
Liverpool will not be taking part in the 2025 Club World Cup due to FIFA's qualifying criteria. In simple terms, they won't be there because of Manchester City and Chelsea.
FIFA decided last year that no more than two teams per country would be permitted a spot at the tournament. Since the UEFA Champions League winners between 2021 and this year were all certain of qualifying, that means England's two places were taken by City and Chelsea, who won the Champions league in 2022/23 and 2020/21 respectively.
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Had a separate English side won the 2023/24 Champions League, FIFA would reportedly have made an exception and allowed City, Chelsea and that third Premier League team to take part in the Club World Cup. That was no help to Liverpool, of course, who were playing in the Europa League during Jurgen Klopp's final campaign at the helm.