FIFA has begun contemplating changes to the rules of the FIFA Club World Cup to provide permanent spots for major clubs with large global fan bases. FIFA is currently discussing increasing the number of participating teams from 32 to 48. Additionally, they are considering changing the frequency of the tournament from once every four years to once every two years. However, this is something that the European football association strongly opposes. They argue that this would significantly congest the football calendar and lead to many undesirable consequences.
FIFA’s desire to propose amendments to the Club World Cup stems from the criticism and decreased popularity of the tournament after some of the world’s top teams were not included in this year’s inaugural expanded tournament held in the United States. This includes Spanish champions Barcelona, English champions Liverpool, and Italian champions Napoli. These teams missed out due to the selection criteria, which considered European tournament performances over the past four years and aimed to include teams from a wider range of countries.
However, this resulted in a less exciting tournament and a significant decrease in FIFA’s revenue. During the tournament in the United States, many matches struggled to attract spectators, forcing organizers to sell tickets at discounted prices or give them away to school students and various groups. Nevertheless, after the tournament concluded, FIFA declared it a financial and administrative success.
