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Real Madrid have insisted that they will honour their commitment to play in FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup in 2025 despite comments from Carlo Ancelotti claiming they would “refuse the invitation”.
FIFA’s first expanded men’s Club World Cup, featuring 32 top clubs and set to be hosted in the United States, is less than a year away.
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Of the 32 slots for teams competing, 29 have been filled with clubs from various confederations including UEFA, CONMEBOL, CAF, AFC, OFC, and CONCACAF.
However, in an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Giornale on Monday, Ancelotti claimed that Madrid had no plans to participate.
The 65-year-old said: “Players and clubs won’t participate in that tournament. One single Real Madrid game is worth €20 million, and FIFA want to give us that amount for the entire competition. Negative. Just like us, other clubs will refuse the invitation.”
However, Ancelotti later clarified his position and indicated he was in support of playing with the club also going public to back their participation.
Ancelotti said: “In my interview with Il Giornale, my words about the FIFA Club World Cup have not been interpreted in the way I intended.
“Nothing could be further from my interest than to reject the possibility of playing in a tournament that I consider to be a great opportunity to continue fighting for major titles with Real Madrid.”
A club statement read: “Real Madrid C. F. informs that at no time has its participation in the new Club World Cup to be organised by FIFA in the next season 2024/2025 been questioned.
“Therefore, our club will take part, as planned, in this official competition which we face with pride and with the utmost enthusiasm to once again make our millions of fans all over the world dream of a new title.”
The revamped tournament is the flagship initiative of world football’s governing body, aiming to replicate the success of prestigious club competitions like the UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores.
The Athletic reported that FIFA has not announced a media rights partner, host cities, or venues. Additionally, sponsorship agreements and the monetary value for participating clubs are still in progress.
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Apple is the leading contender for global broadcasting rights, but no official deal has been announced.
FIFA had targeted up to 10 sponsors for the tournament, with targets of more than $100million per sponsor, and is struggling to attract these numbers. The absences of Barcelona, AC Milan and major Premier League sides have made it even harder to sell the tournament.
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Matches are expected to take place primarily on the east coast to benefit television audiences in Europe, with New York/New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium and Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium expected to be host venues.
There has been 15 places secured by winning a confederation’s premier club competition between 2021 and 2024. Chelsea, Manchester City and Madrid all gained places because they won the Champions League in that period, similar to CONCACAF Champions League sides Monterrey, Pachuca and Leon (all from Mexico) and MLS’ Seattle Sounders.
The three remaining places will go to the winner of the Copa Libertadores in November, another South American club determined by ranking in November and a team in the U.S.
The tournament will be held every four years, with the U.S. event taking place from June 15 to July 13, 2025.
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(Top photo: Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images))
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