2029 FIFA Club World Cup

2029 FIFA Club World Cup
  • FIFA Club World Cup 2029
  • Coupe du Monde des Clubs de la FIFA 2029
  • Mundial de Clubes FIFA 2029
Tournament details
DatesJune – July 2029[1]
Teams32 (from 6 confederations)
2025
2033 →

The 2029 FIFA Club World Cup will be the 22nd edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, an international club football competition organised by FIFA. The tournament is scheduled to be played from June to July 2029. It is planned to be the second edition under the expanded 32 team format, including the winners of the four previous continental championships from each confederation.[2]

Chelsea are the defending champions, having won their first title under the new four-year format, in 2025.

Potential bids

  •  Australia (or as a joint bid with  New Zealand):[3] After the highly successful 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Football Australia president James Johnson stated that, in order to continue the momentum after the tournament, Australia would bid for both the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup (for which their bid was successful)[4] and the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.[5]
  •  Brazil: On 20 June 2025 the Brazilian Football Confederation formally expressed its interest in hosting the tournament. The organisation's president, Samir Xaud, communicated the intention to FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who was receptive to the idea. The bid would build on the infrastructure used in previous FIFA events, such as the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.[6] Brazil reiterated their interest in January 2026.[7]
  •  England: In November 2025, reports suggested that England could host the tournament to improve relations with the Premier League and give more slots to English teams who were excluded from the previous edition.[8] England has hosted the 1966 FIFA World Cup, but has never hosted the Club World Cup in the past. England is set to co-host the UEFA Euro 2028 and also the 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup along with Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
  •  Germany: In November 2025, it was reported that Germany expressed its interest in hosting the tournament.[8]Germany has hosted the 1974 FIFA World Cup as West Germany and the 2006 FIFA World Cup as a unified nation, but has never hosted the Club World Cup in the past.
  •  Mexico: Mikel Arriola, the president of the Mexican Football Federation has formally expressed the country's interest in hosting the tournament. The country hosted multiple FIFA tournaments in the past including the 1970 and the 1986 World Cups, but has never hosted the Club World Cup before. The country is set to host both the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Canada and United States and the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup along with the United States, Costa Rica, and Jamaica.[9]
  •  Qatar: Qatar has expressed interest in hosting the tournament. Their proposal involves holding the tournament in winter to avoid the summer heat, utilising the existing infrastructure from the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatari officials have stated that the closeness of the existing stadiums and training bases negating the need for air travel would make the tournament carbon-neutral. The potential schedule could face opposition from European leagues due to the disruption of their domestic seasons.[10] However, with the tournament confirmed to take place in June–July, it is likely that Qatar's bid will not proceed.[1]
  •  Spain,  Portugal and  Morocco: After a meeting in Lisbon between the three nations, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation president Fouzi Lekjaa said in an interview that all three countries would host the tournament as a preparation event for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.[11] Morocco had originally wanted to host the event by itself.[12]
  •  United States: In December 2024, it was reported that FIFA was considering awarding the United States a second Club World Cup with the hopes of gaining American sponsors, and to allow leagues to continue marketing efforts in the country. The country is set to host both the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Canada and Mexico and the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup with Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica.[13]

Potential expansion

In June 2025, it was reported that FIFA was to hold a consultation about expanding the Club World Cup to 48 teams, after clubs in Europe lobbied that they were financially missing out.[14] After confirming the dates for the 2029 tournament in August 2025, FIFA had reportedly notified the six continental bodies that this edition was likely to feature more than the 32 clubs, and has also explored the possibility of changing the Club World Cup's frequency to biennial.[1] There may also be changes to the general restriction of two clubs per country.[15]

Slot allocation

The slot allocation for the 2029 tournament is expected to be the same one used in the 2025 tournament. UEFA was awarded the most slots with twelve, while CONMEBOL was given the second-most with six. The AFC, CAF, and CONCACAF were all given four slots, while the OFC and the host association were given one slot each.[16] On March 14, 2023, the FIFA Council approved the key principles of the access list for the tournament.[17] The principles are as follows, considering competitions completed during a four-year period from 2025 to 2028:

  • CONMEBOL and UEFA (more than four slots): access for the winners of the confederation's top club competition between 2025 and 2028, with additional teams to be determined by a club ranking of the four-year period.[18]
  • AFC, CAF, and CONCACAF (four slots each): access for the winners of the confederation's top club competition between 2025 and 2028.
  • OFC (one slot): access for the highest-ranked club among the winners of the confederation's top club competition between 2025 and 2028.
  • Host country (one slot): to be determined at a later stage.

If a club wins two or more seasons of its confederation's top club competition, additional teams will be determined by a club ranking over the four-year period. Furthermore, a restriction of two clubs per association will be applied, with the exception of champion clubs if more than two clubs from the same association win their confederation's top club competition. The calculation method for the four-year club rankings within each confederation is based on the teams' performance in their respective continental tournaments during seasons completed between 2025 and 2028.

Teams

Location of the non-UEFA teams participating in the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup
Location of the UEFA teams participating in the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup
Confederation Team(s) Qualification Qualified date(s) Participation
AFC (4 slots) Al-Ahli Winner of the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite 3 May 2025 1st
TBD Winner of the 2025–26 AFC Champions League Elite 25 April 2026
TBD Winner of the 2026–27 AFC Champions League Elite 1 May 2027
TBD Winner of the 2027–28 AFC Champions League Elite May 2028
CAF (4 slots) Pyramids Winner of the 2024–25 CAF Champions League 1 June 2025 1st
TBD Winner of the 2025–26 CAF Champions League 24 May 2026
TBD Winner of the 2026–27 CAF Champions League June 2027
TBD Winner of the 2027–28 CAF Champions League June 2028
CONCACAF (4 slots) Cruz Azul Winner of the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup 1 June 2025 2nd (Previous: 2014)
TBD Winner of the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup 30 May 2026
TBD Winner of the 2027 CONCACAF Champions Cup June 2027
TBD Winner of the 2028 CONCACAF Champions Cup June 2028
CONMEBOL (6 slots) Flamengo Winner of the 2025 Copa Libertadores 29 November 2025 4th (Previous: 2019, 2022, 2025)
TBD Winner of the 2026 Copa Libertadores 28 November 2026
TBD Winner of the 2027 Copa Libertadores November 2027
TBD Winner of the 2028 Copa Libertadores November 2028
TBD Best-ranked eligible team in the CONMEBOL 4-year ranking TBD
TBD Second-best ranked eligible team in the CONMEBOL 4-year ranking TBD
OFC (1 slot) TBD Best OFC Professional League winners in the OFC three-year ranking TBD
UEFA (12 slots) Paris Saint-Germain Winners of the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League 31 May 2025 2nd (Previous: 2025)
TBD Winners of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League 30 May 2026
TBD Winners of the 2026–27 UEFA Champions League 5 June 2027
TBD Winners of the 2027–28 UEFA Champions League 27 May 2028
TBD Best ranked eligible team in the UEFA 4-year ranking TBD
TBD Second-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA 4-year ranking TBD
TBD Third-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA 4-year ranking TBD
TBD Fourth-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA 4-year ranking TBD
TBD Fifth-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA 4-year ranking TBD
TBD Sixth-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA 4-year ranking TBD
TBD Seventh-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA 4-year ranking TBD
TBD Eighth-best ranked eligible team in the UEFA 4-year ranking TBD
Host (1 slot) TBD TBD TBD

Qualification through confederation rankings

For CONMEBOL and UEFA, additional teams will be determined by a club ranking of the four-year period for CONMEBOL (at least two teams) and UEFA (at least eight teams). For OFC, the club confederation rankings will be used for the highest-ranked club among the winners of the confederation's top club competition between 2025 and 2028. For other confederations, the club confederation rankings will be used if a club wins two or more seasons of their confederation's top club competition. The method for points is as follows:[19]

  • 3 points for a win
  • 1 point for a draw
  • 3 points for successful progression to each new stage of the competition

Key criteria in the last edition for breaking ties was based on best individual result achieved during the qualifying period, then on the most recent best result.[19]

Key
Qualified through winning the competition
Qualified through the confederation ranking
Ineligible to qualify
SF Semi-finalist
QF Quarter-finalist
R16 Round of 16
PO Playoff round
LS/LP League stage/league phase
CS Circuit Series
GS Group stage
3QR 3rd qualifying round
2QR 2nd qualifying round
1QR 1st qualifying round
DNQ Did not qualify

AFC

Ranking to be used if a club wins two or more seasons of the AFC Champions League Elite. The table shows the top ten in the rankings.

AFC rankings
Rank Teams 2024–25 2025–26 2026–27 2027–28 Total
W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points
1 Al-Ahli (Q) 12 1 0 Champions 52 5 2 1 R16 23 75
2 Al-Hilal 9 1 2 SF 40 7 1 0 R16 28 68
3 Vissel Kobe 5 1 3 R16 22 7 1 2 QF 31 53
4 Buriram United 4 4 3 QF 25 4 4 2 QF 25 50
5 Johor Darul Ta'zim 4 3 2 R16 21 4 2 4 QF 23 44
6 Kawasaki Frontale 8 0 5 Finalist 39 0 0 0 DNQ 0 39
7 Al-Sadd 4 4 3 QF 25 2 2 4 R16 14 39
8 Al-Nassr 7 3 2 SF 36 0 0 0 DNQ 0 36
9 Yokohama F. Marinos 8 0 2 QF 33 0 0 0 DNQ 0 33
10 Machida Zelvia 0 0 0 DNQ 0 6 3 1 QF 30 30

CAF

Ranking to be used if a club wins two or more seasons of the CAF Champions League. The table shows the top ten in the rankings.

CAF rankings
Rank Teams 2024–25 2025–26 2026–27 2027–28 Total
W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points
1 Pyramids (Q) 7 3 2 Champions 36 5 2 1 QF 23 59
2 Mamelodi Sundowns 3 7 2 Finalist 28 3 3 2 SF 21 49
3 Espérance de Tunis 4 2 2 QF 20 4 3 1 SF 24 44
4 Al Ahly 5 3 2 SF 27 2 4 2 QF 16 43
5 AS FAR 3 4 1 QF 19 3 4 1 SF 22 41
6 Al Hilal Omdurman 3 1 4 QF 16 3 3 2 QF 18 34
7 Orlando Pirates 5 4 1 SF 28 0 0 0 DNQ 0 28
8 MC Alger 2 4 2 QF 16 2 1 3 GS 10 26
9 RS Berkane 0 0 0 DNQ 0 4 2 2 SF 23 23
10 Young Africans 2 2 2 GS 11 2 2 2 GS 11 22

CONCACAF

Ranking to be used if a club wins two or more seasons of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The table shows the top ten in the rankings.

CONCACAF rankings
Rank Teams 2025 2026 2027 2028 Total
W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points
1 Cruz Azul (Q) 4 3 0 Champions 27 1 1 0 QF 10 37
2 Tigres UANL 2 3 1 SF 18 1 0 1 QF 9 27
3 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2 4 1 Finalist 22 0 0 2 R16 3 25
4 Inter Miami CF 3 0 3 SF 18 0 2 0 R16 5 23
5 Los Angeles FC 2 0 2 QF 12 1 1 0 QF 10 22
6 LA Galaxy 1 1 2 QF 10 2 0 0 QF 12 22
7 América 1 1 2 QF 10 1 1 0 QF 10 20
8 Seattle Sounders FC 0 1 1 R16 4 2 0 0 QF 12 16
9 Pumas UNAM 1 3 0 QF 12 0 0 0 DNQ 0 12
10 FC Cincinnati 0 1 1 R16 4 1 0 1 R16 6 10

CONMEBOL

The table shows the top ten in the CONMEBOL rankings, based on their performance in the Copa Libertadores.

CONMEBOL rankings
Rank Teams 2025 2026 2027 2028 Total
W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points
1 Palmeiras 10 1 2 Finalist 46 0 0 0 GS 3 49
2 Flamengo (Q) 8 3 2 Champions 42 0 0 0 GS 3 45
3 LDU Quito 7 2 3 SF 35 0 0 0 GS 3 38
4 Racing 7 2 3 SF 35 0 0 0 DNQ 0 35
5 Estudiantes 6 1 3 QF 28 0 0 0 GS 3 31
6 São Paulo 4 4 2 QF 25 0 0 0 DNQ 0 25
7 Vélez Sarsfield 4 3 3 QF 24 0 0 0 DNQ 0 24
8 River Plate 3 5 2 QF 23 0 0 0 DNQ 0 23
9 Peñarol 4 2 2 R16 20 0 0 0 GS 3 23
10 Botafogo 5 0 3 R16 21 0 0 0 DNQ 0 21

OFC

Only the highest-ranked club of the subset of each year's OFC club tournament champions will qualify for the tournament.[20] The OFC Men's Champions League that was extant in 2025 has been replaced by a new competition, the OFC Professional League, from 2026 onwards.[21]

OFC rankings
Rank Teams 2026 2027 2028 Total
W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points
1 Auckland FC 7 2 1 CS 23 23
2 South Melbourne[a] 5 4 1 CS 19 19
3 Bula FC 4 3 4 CS 15 15
4 Solomon Kings 4 3 4 CS 15 15
5 Vanuatu United 3 4 4 CS 13 13
6 South Island United 3 4 3 CS 13 13
7 Tahiti United 2 4 4 CS 10 10
8 PNG Hekari 1 2 8 CS 5 5

UEFA

The table shows the top twenty in the UEFA rankings, based on their performance in the UEFA Champions League.

UEFA rankings[22]
Rank Teams 2024–25 2025–26 2026–27 2027–28 Total
W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points W D L Phase Points
1 Arsenal 9 2 3 SF 41 9 1 0 QF 37 78
2 Paris Saint-Germain (Q) 9 1 5 Champions 43 6 2 2 QF 29 72
3 Barcelona 9 2 3 SF 41 6 2 2 QF 29 70
4 Bayern Munich 7 1 4 QF 31 9 0 1 QF 36 67
5 Inter Milan 10 3 2 Finalist 48 5 0 3 PO 18 66
6 Liverpool 8 0 2 R16 30 7 0 3 QF 30 60
7 Real Madrid 6 0 6 QF 27 7 0 3 QF 30 57
8 Atlético Madrid 7 0 3 R16 27 5 1 4 QF 25 52
9 Borussia Dortmund 7 1 4 QF 31 3 2 3 PO 14 45
10 Sporting CP 3 2 3 PO 14 6 1 3 QF 28 42
11 Bayer Leverkusen 5 1 4 R16 22 3 4 3 R16 19 41
12 Atalanta 4 3 1 PO 18 4 1 5 R16 19 37
13 Manchester City 3 2 3 PO 14 5 1 4 R16 22 36
14 Aston Villa 8 1 3 QF 34 0 0 0 DNQ 0 34
15 PSV Eindhoven 4 3 3 R16 21 2 2 4 LP 11 32
16 Benfica 4 1 5 R16 19 3 0 5 PO 12 31
17 Juventus 3 3 2 PO 15 3 4 1 PO 16 31
18 Club Brugge 3 2 5 R16 17 3 1 4 PO 13 30
19 Monaco 4 1 3 PO 16 2 4 2 PO 13 29
20 Tottenham Hotspur 0 0 0 DNQ 0 6 2 2 R16 26 26

Notes

  1. ^ South Melbourne are ineligible to qualify as they are based in Australia, which is part of the Asian Football Confederation.

References

  1. ^ a b c Hughes, Matt (24 August 2025). "Fifa's Club World Cup to take place in summer 2029 – and not in Qatar". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  2. ^ "FIFA World Cup 2022 praised for its "unique cohesive power"". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Australia, New Zealand consider joint bid for 2029 Club World Cup". Reuters. 28 June 2023.
  4. ^ "Australia and Uzbekistan confirmed as 2026 and 2029 AFC Women's Asian Cup hosts". Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  5. ^ "Australia in running to host 2029 FIFA Club World Cup". World Soccer Talk. 6 November 2023.
  6. ^ "CBF comunica à Fifa interesse do Brasil em sediar a Copa do Mundo de Clubes em 2029". O Globo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 20 June 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Brazil asks FIFA to host 2029 Club World Cup - sources". ESPN.com. 26 January 2026.
  8. ^ a b Crafton, Adam (6 November 2025). "What we're hearing about World Cup 2026: Trump's threat to move host cities concerns sponsors" – via NYTimes.com.
  9. ^ "Mexico Wants to Host the 2029 Club World Cup and Is Already Raising Its Hand to FIFA". 4 March 2026. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
  10. ^ Hughes, Matt (29 June 2025). "Qatar weighs up 2029 Club World Cup bid that could mean winter tournament". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  11. ^ Erraji, Abdellah (18 October 2023). "Morocco, Portugal, and Spain Continue Preparations for World Cup 2030". moroccoworldnews.com.
  12. ^ Kasraoui, Safaa (5 October 2023). "Morocco Plans to Host 2029 FIFA Club World Cup". moroccoworldnews.com.
  13. ^ "FIFA considering United States as hosts for 2029 Club World Cup". The Athletic. 10 December 2024. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  14. ^ Hughes, Matt (11 June 2025). "Fifa ready to discuss staging 48-team Club World Cup after lobbying from Europe". The Guardian.
  15. ^ "Fifa may increase number of clubs per country at Club World Cup". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  16. ^ "FIFA Council highlights record breaking revenue in football". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 February 2023. Archived from the original on 14 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  17. ^ "FIFA Council approves international match calendars". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 March 2023. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  18. ^ "FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ Confederations ranking". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  19. ^ a b "FIFA Club World Cup 2025: How teams qualify". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 19 August 2024. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  20. ^ "OFC Professional League Competition Regulations" (PDF). oceaniafootball.com. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  21. ^ "Preferred clubs announced for historic OFC Professional League". Oceania Football Confederation. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 28 September 2025. Importantly, the OFC Professional League will also serve as Oceania's qualifier for the FIFA Club World Cup 2029, providing a direct pathway for the region's clubs onto the global stage.
  22. ^ "UEFA 4-year CL Club Ranking 2028". Kassiesa.net. Retrieved 26 February 2026.