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FIFA is back at it again, changing the format for the Club World Cup in an attempt to increase the number of games even further, while also introducing a hint of more excitement in the competition.
The new edition, set to be launched in the summer of 2025, will feature a mammoth 32 teams. It will run every four years, and a maximum of two teams per country are allowed to qualify.
As per the four-year qualification cycle, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Real Madrid have already qualified for the tournament as the last three winners of the competition.
Unfortunately for Barcelona, they are not among the team that are set to receive automatic qualification for the tournament.
They are 12th in UEFA’s club coefficient rankings, one spot behind Atletico Madrid, who will get that onus over the Catalans unless Real Sociedad win the competition this season.
FIFA do have two invitations for the competition, though, and can give them to any club in the world, as per a report by SPORT.
Barcelona, being one of the biggest teams in the world, would ideally be among the candidates to get it. However, due to the tensions between UEFA and Barcelona due to the Super League, they will likely not get that privilege.
So, how can Barcelona qualify?
Win the Champions League
The straightforward route is to win the Champions League. If their stars align, and Barcelona somehow win the competition this season, they will get the second spot for the Club World Cup.
They are drawn against Napoli for the Round of 16, and will need to overcome the big dogs in Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and several other underdogs to lift the big ears.
Can Xavi the coachguide Barcelona to a UCL win? (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
Overtake Atletico Madrid
As per the rankings, Atletico are seven points ahead of Barcelona, and have been drawn against Inter Milan in the 2023/24 UCL round of 16. The Italian giants could do the Catalans a favour if they overcome Diego Simeone’s team….
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/two-ways-barcelona-can-qualify-for-the-2025-club-world-cup-report/
Author : Udhav Arora
Publish date : 2023-12-30 19:48:56
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