FIFA's 32-team World Cup for clubs could change the face of football

A 32-team World Cup for clubs is FIFA's big play to change the face of soccer.

If successful, it could follow the English Premier League and Champions League as one of the most popular and lucrative sports competitions in the world, generating billions of euros (dollars).

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Conversely, it could spark a backlash from players and coaches, who already complain about the congested match calendar.

"I am not against new competitions, I am against the lack of time to recover year by year. This should change, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Monday, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where they aim to win the last Club World Cup before it is radically rebooted.

World players' union FIFPRO went further after FIFA announced the dates of the first edition of the expanded tournament, which will be hosted by the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025.

The extreme mental and physical pressures at the pinnacle of the game is the principal concern of players with multiple club and national team competitions, leading to exhaustion, physical injuries, mental health issues, diminished performance, and risks to career longevity, FIFPRO said.

On Sunday, FIFA said the dates would be harmoniously aligned with the international match calendar to ensure sufficient rest for players ahead of the start of domestic leagues.

But a significantly expanded tournament in 2025 means top players face three straight years of major competitions during the usual offseason, given the European Championship and Copa America are being staged in 2024 and the next World Cup is in 2026.

It is planned that the Club World Cup will be held every four years after 2025.

Clubs play a fundamental role in world football, and the Club World Cup will be a major milestone in providing clubs from all confederations with a fitting stage on which to shine at the highest level of the game, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

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Will it work? It is a peculiar quirk of soccer that a global club event has never captured the imagination of fans and teams around the world.

In its current format, the European and South American champions enter at the semifinals stage and have to play just two games to win the title.

More often than not, the final is between those two continents, with European teams dominating the modern era. Only Brazilian team Corinthians has broken Europe's winning run in 16 years.

The sense of formality likely hasn't helped the tournament capture wider interest, with teams from Asia and Africa not expected to upset giants such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool.

The fact it is staged in the middle of the European season does not help.

New format The 32-team tournament addresses those issues, with 12 European and six South American teams participating. Asia and Africa will have four teams each, plus four from North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The tournament will be staged during the offseason for many leagues, which is when major tournaments are traditionally played. With no competition from the likes of the English Premier League, the Club World Cup has the potential to own the space around the event.