FIFA Club World Cup: Why is Yamal, Salah, Ronaldo, Barcelona not playing?

2 weeks ago 11

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A new-look FIFA Club World Cup, featuring 32 teams, kicks disconnected successful the United States connected June 14 and runs done to the last connected July 13.

In beforehand of the tournament, Al Jazeera takes a look astatine the apical 5 talking points:

1. Cramped docket raises concerns implicit subordinate welfare

FIFA’s determination to grow the Club World Cup from a six- oregon eight-team tourney to a supersized 32-team variation has been criticised by FIFPRO, the planetary shot players’ union, and the World Leagues Forum (WLF).

Legitimate questions person been raised astir the other workload connected players owed to the accrued fig of matches, and the corresponding simplification successful remainder and betterment clip for players successful a shortened disconnected season.

“The FIFA Council’s determination to docket the archetypal variation of the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup betwixt 15 June and 13 July 2025 without implementing further subordinate workload safeguards demonstrates a deficiency of information for the intelligence and carnal wellness of participating players, arsenic good arsenic a disregard for their idiosyncratic and household lives,” FIFPRO said successful a connection successful December.

A report released by FIFPRO and Football Benchmark successful April recovered that respective Club World Cup-bound players are among the astir overworked for the 2024-25 season.

The report’s findings estimated that Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde, who made 43 back-to-back appearances up until April 1 with less than 5 days of betterment clip earlier these matches, could perchance scope 65 back-to-back appearances for nine and state by the extremity of the season, racking up adjacent to 7,000 minutes and 78 games.

The WLF, an organisation representing 44 large nonrecreational leagues that is chaired by Premier League main Richard Masters, said the organisation was unhappy that it had been overlooked successful FIFA’s decision-making process.

According to the Reuters quality agency, Masters accused FIFA of prioritising its ain commercialized interests, adding that the June-July docket would impact subordinate availability for nationalist leagues astatine the commencement of the play successful August.

Rodri sustained a genu wounded during Manchester City's Premier League crippled against Arsenal

2. Will the matches beryllium competitive?

While the enlargement of the Club World Cup to 32 sides allows much teams a accidental astatine investigating themselves against immoderate of the biggest names successful planetary nine football, it besides raises questions astir the competitiveness of the tournament.

With each radical having astatine slightest 2 clubs from Europe oregon South America, teams from the different continental confederations, specified arsenic Asia oregon Africa, could find themselves having precise small accidental of glory against the heavyweights of the game.

For example, successful Group G, Moroccan broadside Wydad AC and UAE Pro League Al Ain are pitted against Manchester City and Juventus, who person been supremely palmy connected the home and continental stage.

Teams from the European confederation (UEFA) person historically dominated the Club World Cup, winning 16 of the 20 editions played to date. The remaining 4 person each been won by clubs from the South American confederation (CONMEBOL).

So, past suggests that the beingness of European oregon South American sides could pb to lopsided matchups successful this year’s edition.

3. Where are the superstars and superteams?

While Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe volition play astatine the tournament, fans volition beryllium denied an accidental to ticker galore of the elite performers from the 2024-25 season, specified arsenic Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, the Premier League’s Golden Boot winner, oregon teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal, who won 3 trophies this twelvemonth with Barcelona.

Salah created past arsenic the archetypal subordinate successful Premier League past to decorativeness a play with the astir goals and assists arsenic good arsenic triumph the Player of the Season award. But 1 of the astir in-form forwards successful the satellite volition not beryllium among the players successful the US arsenic Liverpool could not suffice for the tournament, with Manchester City and Chelsea earning spots from the English quota.

Further confusing the enactment of teams was FIFA’s abrupt determination to springiness the big federation a spot and grant it to Inter Miami, underlining the opaque quality of the qualifying criteria for the tourney which won’t diagnostic Liverpool, Barcelona oregon Napoli, who person each conscionable been crowned champions successful 3 of the astir prestigious leagues successful Europe.

Inter Miami gained introduction by topping Major League Soccer’s regular play standings, contempt losing successful the archetypal circular of the playoffs – a determination critics accidental shows FIFA’s desperation to person Inter’s Argentina large Messi astatine their inaugural showpiece.

Apart from the winners of each confederation’s premier nine competitions, teams qualified according to a ranking based connected their performances implicit a four-year period. Barcelona, the existent La Liga champions, missed retired connected a spot owed to the four-year nine coefficient rankings and two-team restrictions, arsenic their archrivals Real Madrid qualified for the Club World Cup alongside Atletico Madrid.

The Catalan giants, fielding immoderate of the astir exhilarating footballers connected the planet, specified arsenic 17-year-old wonderkid Yamal oregon the goal-scoring genius of Raphinha, are a immense omission from the club-based tournament.

Prodigious talents similar Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay, who ushered Napoli’s stunning 2024-25 Serie A rubric complaint successful Italy, volition besides not play.

4. Introduction of a peculiar transportation window

In the build-up to the tournament, FIFA announced the instauration of a peculiar transportation window, allowing participating clubs to marque last-minute transfers earlier their teams committee the formation to the US.

FIFA has said signings tin beryllium made from June 1 to June 10 arsenic good arsenic June 27 to July 3, explaining that the nonsubjective of the second model is to promote clubs and players whose contracts are expiring “to find an due solution to facilitate the players’ participation”.

The instauration of this transportation model is unsocial arsenic signings usually either instrumentality spot successful the adjacent play oregon the mediate of the season, known arsenic the summertime and wintertime windows for European clubs.

FIFA’s determination has led to speculation that Cristiano Ronaldo could beryllium 1 of those players to enactment pen to insubstantial during the model connected a short-term woody for 1 of the participating clubs. Spanish paper Marca reported successful precocious May that a nine successful Brazil had submitted an connection to motion Ronaldo. Botafogo – 1 of 4 Brazilian clubs competing astatine the tourney – person been linked with the seasoned forward.

Ronaldo, 40, has hinted he could permission Al Nassr aft declaring that a “chapter is over” hours aft the Saudi Pro League finished. Al Nassr person not qualified for the Club World Cup, dissimilar chap Saudi broadside Al Hilal, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino precocious said “there are discussions” implicit Ronaldo playing astatine the Club World Cup.

The Portugal prima confirmed connected Saturday that helium had received “quite a few” offers from participating clubs to play for them astatine the tournament, but had decided against accepting any.

Should a Ronaldo transportation yet occur, the Club World Cup could spot Messi and Ronaldo face-off successful the US market, greatly boosting media interest, summons sales, TV viewership figures, and enhancing the wide entreaty of the tournament. The duo, who are arguably the top players of their generation, past played successful the aforesaid contention astatine the 2022 FIFA World Cup successful Qatar.

A nine which has already benefitted from this peculiar transportation model is Real Madrid, which was capable to scope an statement with Liverpool to motion defender Trent Alexander-Arnold aboriginal and marque him disposable for the tournament.

The close backmost was scheduled to articulation the Spanish giants connected a six-year woody arsenic a escaped cause aft his Liverpool declaration expired connected June 30, but according to The Athletic, Real paid Liverpool 10 cardinal euros ($11.4m) to fast-track the process and get him connected committee for the Club World Cup.

Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo earlier the match

5. Dress rehearsal for adjacent year’s FIFA World Cup

Fans successful the US volition get a glimpse of what the 2026 FIFA World Cup connected location ungraded volition look similar erstwhile they be the Club World Cup matches this year.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup volition beryllium co-hosted by the US alongside Canada and Mexico, moving for much than a period with 100+ matches.

Among the 12 stadiums that volition big the new-look Club World Cup, immoderate person besides been chosen arsenic venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which volition person 48 participants for the archetypal time.

MetLife Stadium, an 82,500-seater successful New Jersey, volition big the semifinals and the last of the Club World Cup arsenic good arsenic the last of adjacent year’s prestigious World Cup.

Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, Seattle’s Lumen Field and Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium are the different venues which volition beryllium progressive successful some tournaments.

The venues, though, mightiness not beryllium filled to their afloat capableness arsenic organisers person struggled to merchantability tickets, with nine instrumentality tickets, wide nationalist tickets, and hospitality sections each inactive up for merchantability connected the authoritative FIFA site, astir 2 weeks retired from the commencement of the event.