It turns out that Seattle Sounders FC’s historic 2022 Concacaf Champions League title carried some extra weight.
Seattle will have one of Concacaf’s four spots (32 teams overall) in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup that begins in 2025, news that arrived following Tuesday’s FIFA Council Meeting.
The Sounders, in early February, become Major League Soccer’s first-ever Club World Cup participant when competing at the Morocco-based tournament. They lost in the second round to Egyptian side Al Ahly, 1-0, in a much-smaller competition (seven teams).
That opportunity came after a 5-2 aggregate victory over Liga MX's Pumas UNAM in last May's CCL final, the all-decisive second leg occurring before . As a result, Seattle became MLS's first-ever winner of the prestigious continental club competition.
CCL year | Qualified team |
|---|---|
2021 | CF Monterrey (Mexico) |
2022 | Seattle Sounders FC (USA) |
2023 | To be determined |
2024 | To be determined |
More to come?
Winners of the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 CCL competitions will qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 – creating additional pathways for MLS teams to reach the global stage.
There are five MLS clubs competing in the ongoing 2023 CCL, while the 2024 CCL expands to feature 27 teams (normally 16 teams). The revamped CCL could see up to 10 MLS teams (a minimum of five) qualify via various pathways, while three spots go to the top-three finishers in the 2023 Leagues Cup.
Should a club win the CCL title twice in the 2021-24 period of competitions, then the next best team in the FIFA rankings would qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup, with further details of the ranking system to be communicated at a later date.
A cap of two clubs per country will be applied, with an exception in case more than two clubs from the same country win the CCL over the four-year period 2021 to 2024.
The 2025 Club World Cup is set for June and July of that year, but a location is unknown. The tournament would occur every four years and likely include eight groups of four, with each group's top two finishers advancing to a knockout round.
By confederation: 2025 FIFA Club World Cup spots
- Asia (AFC) - 4
- Africa (CAF) - 4
- North and Central America, Caribbean (Concacaf) - 4
- South America (Conmebol) - 6
- Oceania (OFC) - 1
- Europe (UEFA) - 12
- Host country TBD - 1
- TOTAL: 32 teams
