When is the next FIFA Club World Cup? Why newly-crowned world champions Chelsea haven't qualified despite 2025 triumph
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Published 14/07/2025 at 14:02 GMT+1
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With Chelsea beating Paris Saint-Germain and winning the first version of the new, revamped FIFA Club World Cup, attention turns to the next edition which is set to take place in four years. Ahead of the tournament, it remains to be seen which teams will compete and how they will get there - including the Blues themselves.
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Chelsea are champions of the world after winning the first incarnation of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup.
The Blues, inspired by two-goal hero Cole Palmer, swept aside European Champions Paris Saint-Germain to claim the prize and etch their names in history.
This is the second time Chelsea have won a version of this competition, having triumphed at the 2021 edition, but have become the first team to lift the brand new trophy following the tournament expanding to 32 teams.
When is the next FIFA Club World Club?
From the year 2000, the tournament had been slated to take place on an annual basis and feature the winners of the previous season’s continental competitions.
The tournament also took place during the winter months in the middle of the European season.
However, this has all changed under the rule of current FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has re-jigged the entire format and structure of the event, with the tournament now taking place every four years, and in the European post-season period.
As such, the next FIFA Club World Cup will take place in the summer of 2029 - dates TBC - meaning Chelsea can claim the ‘Champions of the world!’ title until then.
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Where will the next FIFA Club World Cup be held?
As of now, there is no set host for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.
Who has qualified for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup?
Prior to this year, the tournament featured the winners of the previous season’s continental competitions – the AFC Champions League, CAF Champions League, CONCACAF Champions League, Copa Libertadores (CONMEBOL), OFC Champions League or UEFA Champions League, as well as the host nation’s league champions.
The competition nominally comprised just a maximum of seven teams in a knockout format, with the UEFA and CONMEBOL representatives receiving a bye to the semi-finals.
With the restructured tournament featuring 32 teams, the entry criteria has been expanded.
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For both the 2025 and 2029 tournaments, the allocations saw UEFA handed a whooping 12 places.
This is made up of the four Champions League winners in the years leading up to the tournament, as well as the eight best-ranked sides over this same four-year period.
CONMEBOL are awarded six slots, including the four Copa Libertadores winners for the preceding four years, as well as the two best-ranked teams over this same four-year period.
AFC, CAF, and CONCACAF all get four slots each, made up of the four winners of the AFC Champions League, the CAF Champions League and the CONCACAF Champions League respectively, over the four years prior to the tournament.
OFC get a single slot awarded to the best performing winners of the new OFC Professional League over the four-year period. For the 2025 tournament, this place went to the best-ranked OFC Champions League winners over the four years leading up to the tournament.
FIFA Club World Cup 2029 slot allocation
Host Nation (One place)
- TBC
UEFA (12 places)
- 4 - UEFA Champions League winners 2024/25, 2025/26, 2026/27, 2027/28
- 8 - Best ranked eligible teams 2024-2028
CONMEBOL (6 places)
- 4 - CONMEBOL Champions League winners 2024/25, 2025/26, 2026/27, 2027/28
- 2 - Best ranked eligible teams 2024-2028
AFC (4 places)
- AFC Champions League winners 2024/25, 2025/26, 2026/27, 2027/28
CAF (4 places)
- CAF Champions League winners 2024/25, 2025/26, 2026/27, 2027/28
CONCACAF (4 places)
- CONCACAF Champions League winners 2024/25, 2025/26, 2026/27, 2027/28
OFC (One place)
- Best-ranked OFC Professional League winners 2026-2028
*If a team wins two or more of their confederation's competition in this period, additional teams will qualify based on club ranking over the four years.
Will Chelsea defend their crown at the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup?
Well, this is slightly awkward. The previous tournament winner currently doesn’t automatically qualify for the next one.
This means that the Blues must either win the UEFA Champions League at some point in the next three years or achieve a high enough ranking in order to defend their newly-won trophy.
Ironically, beaten finalists PSG will be at the next tournament, qualifying on the basis of their Champions League win this past season.
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