How to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup

27 May | BY Alex Hilton | MIN READ TIME |

Source: Alamy Stock Photo

With the FIFA Club World Cup just around the corner, we explain the qualifying rules for the new-look competition.

The new-look FIFA Club World Cup will take place between 15 June and 13 July 2025.

Clubs from across the globe will take part in the new-look competition, which will now be held every four years rather than each season.

The teams at the FIFA Club World Cup include powerhouses from all over the world, including Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, who are the current favourites in the Club World Cup betting.

Read on as we examine how to qualify for the Club World Cup, and make sure to check out our guide to the FIFA Club World Cup fixtures and schedule.

Who will be playing in the 2025 Club World Cup?

Entrants will come from all six of FIFA’s confederations: Asia, Africa, CONCACAF (North & Central America), CONMEBOL (South America), Oceania and Europe.

Qualification via continental title

For Club World Cup qualification, each confederation is allocated a certain number of slots within the 32-club system. Europe holds the most with 12, while South America was given six.

Asia, North America and Africa hold four spots each, while one has been reserved for both Oceania and the host country.

Qualification for Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea – all of whom are among the favourites in the football betting for this year’s tournament – was due to their respective UEFA Champions League triumphs in the last four years.

This route for qualification also extends to the AFC Champions League, Concacaf Champions Cup, CAF Champions League and CONMEBOL Libertadores.

As a result, teams including Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Al Ahly (Egypt), and Flamengo (Brazil) all had their spot for the summer tournament automatically booked.

Other giants of the game such as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid had to seal their spot via UEFA’s ranking pathway.

Qualification via ranking

The automatic qualifications of City, Madrid and Chelsea left nine European slots available, and those are secured via a ranking system.

FIFA states that ranking points are awarded from the group stage of the confederation’s relevant premier club competition, via the following points system.

Three points for a win
One point for a draw
Three points for progress to each stage of the competition

But this does not apply to UEFA, which already uses a coefficient system. As a result, FIFA will utilise the following ranking system to establish for European teams to qualify.

2 points for a win
1 point for a draw
4 points for qualification for the group stage
5 points for qualification for the round of 16
1 point for progress to each stage of the competition thereafter

But there are some exceptions.

Only a maximum of two teams from the same country can compete, unless spots are earned via a continental title.

That is why the likes of Liverpool and Barcelona will not be present at this tournament, despite placing above teams such as Benfica and Juventus in the UEFA ranking pathway.

Brazil, though, will be represented by four teams in the United States, following a dominant four years in the CONMEBOL Libertadores.

Confederations with four slots, such as CAF, AFC and CONCACAF, only see teams qualify via ranking points if one of their clubs has won their premier club competition more than once in the last four years.