What Club World Cup Expansion Means for European Football

UEFA are set to agree to FIFA expanding the Club World Cup (CWC) to 48 teams, according to The Guardian.

This would come into effect for the 2029 edition and impact the 2024–28 qualifying process.

In exchange, FIFA will drop plans to host the tournament every two years.

What might CWC 2029 look like?

FIFA have not confirmed any changes to the CWC’s format, and UEFA have declined to comment on recent reports.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has, however, said he wanted to make the club World Cup

“bigger, even better, even more impactful”, which suggests a future expansion.

Nine different countries including England and 2025 hosts the USA have expressed interest in hosting the 2029 tournament. A joint bid from Spain, Portugal and Morocco is reportedly the favourite. Hosting would give those nations valuable experience ahead of staging the majority of the 2030 World Cup.

Any future 48-team tournament is likely to follow a format similar to this summer’s World Cup. This would increase the total number of matches from 63 in 2025 to 103 and require the finalists to play eight games instead of seven.

The Guardian reported that FIFA is “likely” to increase the allocation of European teams from 12 to 16 and potentially remove the limit of two teams from the same country. Liverpool, RB Leipzig, Barcelona and Napoli would all have qualified for the 2025 edition under this expanded structure.

Why have UEFA agreed to this?

For many, US President Donald Trump beaming at the Chelsea squad as they lifted the golden trophy was the defining image of last year’s CWC. It was a fitting conclusion to a tournament that felt at times bizarre marred by empty stadiums and unplanned weather stoppages yet still capable of producing high-quality football and showcasing some of South America and Asia’s strongest teams to a global audience.

There were reportedly concerns among UEFA officials that the CWC could eventually rival the UEFA Champions League as the world’s leading club competition.

FIFA have claimed that the 2025 CWC attracted 2.7 billion viewers, although questions remain over how that figure was measured.

What cannot be disputed is the financial reward offered to participating clubs.

Sporting analytics site Football Benchmark reported that Chelsea made over £85 million from the tournament. That is equivalent to the combined market value of Brazilian winger Estêvão (who coincidentally scored against Chelsea for Palmeiras in the quarter-finals) and French centre-back Benoît Badiashile, according to Transfermarkt.

PSG reportedly made around £123 million from winning last season’s Champions League roughly equivalent to the combined market value of their Portuguese duo, Vitinha and Gonçalo Ramos.

Holding the CWC every two years may have given regularly qualifying clubs a significant financial advantage, potentially distorting the competitive balance of European football. FIFA’s decision to drop the biennial proposal may therefore be seen as a compromise.

This development follows Real Madrid’s withdrawal from the European Super League last week, five years after most other founding members. Together, these shifts should reassure UEFA that the Champions League remains the most prestigious club competition in world football.

What does this mean for clubs?

An expanded CWC will almost certainly mean more games for Europe’s biggest clubs. This would disrupt pre-season tours, which are often highly lucrative commercial ventures. However, any potential financial loss from disrupted tours would likely be outweighed by FIFA’s prize money and “pillar payments”, which are distributed based on a club’s commercial standing as well as sporting success.

Increased match volume and shorter summer breaks could lead to a higher risk of injuries in seasons following a CWC campaign. World champions Chelsea have already been affected by injuries to CWC Player of the Tournament Cole Palmer and key centre-back Levi Colwill. Meanwhile, runners-up PSG’s Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé has yet to complete a full 90 minutes in the league this season, partly due to recurring hamstring and calf issues.

The Future of the Club World Cup

FIFA clearly remain committed to expanding the CWC and establishing it as a globally recognised tournament. UEFA appear prepared to allow that process to continue provided certain conditions are met.

However, further expansion in an already congested football calendar could face legal opposition from the European Leagues lobby group, which represents divisions from 31 European countries, including the top five leagues.

The long-term status of domestic competitions and player welfare may increasingly come into conflict with FIFA’s expansion ambitions.