The FIFA Club World Cup returns in June with a new, controversial 32-team format set to change club football forever.
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00:00We're just three months away from the first edition of the new-look FIFA Club World Cup set to take place in the United States.
00:08It comes not without controversy, as the tournament is set to change the shape of club football forever.
00:15So, have FIFA overstepped the mark, or will this provide a much-needed platform for smaller clubs all around the world?
00:23Hello and welcome to Football Now, here from the Albeit Stadium in Qatar.
00:33We're around three months away from the return of the FIFA Club World Cup, with the competition debuting an exciting and expanded new format from this summer over in the USA.
00:44While the tournament serves as a dress rehearsal for the FIFA World Cup in 2026,
00:49it's actually part of a much larger strategy from FIFA to encourage the development of club football outside of the European landscape.
00:58Yeah, I'm very excited for the players to be able to play a club world cup.
01:02They can compare themselves with the best of the best, not every year, every four years.
01:08And also say, OK, look, the top ones out there can also go and compete in front of a full crowd.
01:16And the kids in Asia, in Africa, in South America, they can't wait for it.
01:21And the clubs themselves and the players themselves, give it a chance, give it a go.
01:25Let's see how it goes. Then let's give to the fans this opportunity.
01:30So, let's take a deeper look now into how this new format takes shape.
01:35There were just eight clubs in previous tournaments. Now, a whopping 32 domestic teams will compete in the 2025 edition.
01:4312 teams represent Europe, with Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City all qualifying automatically by winning the Champions League in the last four years.
01:52Nine other teams were selected by a four-year ranking process.
01:56Six clubs from South America will feature, including the last four Copa Libertadores champions, giving Brazil the most representatives of any country.
02:06Asia, Africa and North America have four teams each, with Auckland City the sole representative from the Oceania Confederation.
02:14The final spot was reserved for the host nation and was awarded to Inter Miami for winning last season's Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield.
02:23Lionel Messi will host the opening match of the tournament on the 14th of June against Egypt's Al-Ali at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.
02:31The final will be played on the 13th of July at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
02:37Despite teams reportedly receiving a minimum of 50 million euros each just for qualifying for this tournament,
02:44players, coaches and fans alike have already raised concerns about the impact the Club World Cup will have on squads,
02:51adding more fixtures to what is already a very congested football calendar.
02:57So I don't know anyone that's excited. That doesn't mean that there aren't people who are excited.
03:01But I don't know anyone who's excited about it.
03:04As one of the giants of the game, it's probably in City's mandate to care about, you know, helping the rest of the world and being part of this.
03:12But the truth is, you know, everybody's selfish and you kind of have to be selfish to be as successful as you are.
03:18I don't know any of the big boys that want this.
03:20You can't keep asking these players to keep coming to the well and keep playing and keep playing and keep playing.
03:25And then from all the other points of view, you've got like the fans.
03:29You've got ticket prices in the UK are going up and up and up.
03:32You've got more games than ever to try and get to.
03:34Which one of the fans going to go? I'm not going to bother with.
03:36It's that tournament on the other side of the world that they're not going to play the first team in.
03:41But for clubs outside of Europe, this competition provides them with an opportunity to face teams they would never normally compete against.
03:49One club set to benefit from that is Auckland City FC, a semi-professional side from New Zealand.
03:56They'll be facing the six times champions of Europe Bayern Munich in their opening match.
04:01So what does it mean to those involved to be competing on such a massive international stage?
04:08We're an amateur club. We play in an amateur competition.
04:11Our players are amateur.
04:13They don't get paid any more than $150 a week expenses incurred when they play.
04:19So we don't pay players any money to play football.
04:22So Bayern Munich, Benfica and Bocca, well, there's no hiding from it.
04:26That's the draw we've got. We are the size of club that we are.
04:29You have to embrace it.
04:30We're very aware as well of the perception of this draw, the global perception amongst fans of the tournament itself.
04:37The smallest region, OFC, is having to constantly prove itself.
04:41We finished fifth in 2009. Four years later, we had won a bronze medal at the Club World Cup.
04:47That was insane how that happened.
04:50That today, obviously, is the crowning achievement of the club.
04:54It's almost too big for us to carry that expectation.
04:57We've got our own measures for success.
04:59And we know it's going to be tough on and off the pitch.
05:03And it's going to be tough in the social media space at times.
05:06But equally, we're going to attract people to this story and this cause.
05:09People can relate to this more than they can, say, relate to somebody who has got wealth off the scale.
05:16This could be the last time we ever go to any world event.
05:19And I think that makes our story more special because of what we have done as a club over the last 21 years.
05:27Our mission is to go to the United States, get the best performance we can.
05:31And we might be the last time an amateur club is competing in this tournament.
05:36A really exciting Club World Cup to look forward to then, as club football embarks on its most ambitious tournament yet.
05:43Let us know what you think of the new format using the hashtag FootballNowClubWorldCup.
05:49That's all we've got time for, though, this week.
05:51We'll see you next time. Bye for now.