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The defeat and elimination of Barcelona from the Champions League secured Atlético Madrid’s qualification for the new FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 in the United States, despite their own exit from the European tournament, as Atlético is unreachable for Barcelona in the rankings.
Diego Simeone’s team is the twenty-second club to secure its presence in the modern international competition, whose first edition will take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025. It will be played every four years thereafter and will consist of 32 teams divided into eight groups of four, with the top two advancing to the knockout stage. There will be no third-place match.
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From UEFA, which has twelve slots in the competition, eleven teams are already qualified: Real Madrid, Chelsea, and Manchester City as champions of the last three editions of the Champions League; and Bayern Munich, Paris Saint Germain, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Benfica, and Juventus, along with Atlético, based on the rankings, pending the resolution of the champion of this 2023-24 edition, who will also go straight to the World Cup.
The only club among all contenders still with a chance to win the Champions League is Arsenal, whose only route to compete in the 2025 United States event is through winning the continental title, as they have no ranking-based options.
Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint Germain (protagonists of one of the semifinals of this Champions League), Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich (to be determined if they advance to the next round this Wednesday) already have a secure place in the World Cup. Therefore, if any of the five becomes the champion, it would open the door for Salzburg’s qualification.
In addition to the eleven European clubs, with a maximum of two per country (unless more than two from the same territory have won the continental competition of their respective confederation, as is the case with Brazilian teams), there are already eleven teams from the rest of the world with a fixed spot in the 2025 World Cup.
These include Brazilian clubs Palmeiras, Fluminense, and Flamengo; Egypt’s Al Ahly; Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal; Morocco’s Wydad Athletic; Japan’s Urawa Reds; Mexico’s Club León and Monterrey; the United States’ Seattle Sounders; and New Zealand’s Auckland City.
Apart from one spot from Europe (either Arsenal, if they win the Europa League, or Salzburg), there are nine more spots to be resolved: two from Asia (with four options among Al Ain from the UAE, South Korean teams Ulsan HD and Jeonbuk Motors, and Japan’s Yokohama Marinos); two from Africa (with possibilities including Tunisia’s Espérance, South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, and Congo’s Mazembe); one from Concacaf (from America, Pachuca, Columbus Crew, or Philadelphia Union); three from Conmebol (currently including River Plate and Boca Juniors from Argentina, pending the outcome of the Copa Libertadores); and one club from the host country.
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