FIFA's decision may leave Barcelona out of the 2025 Club World Cup in the US

Barcelona's 2023/24 season has been irregular. They had a good start, with several consecutive victories that allowed them to briefly top the La Liga standings and secure their place in the Champions League round of 16. However, then injuries to important players and a decline in the team's performances led to disappointing results.

The Catalan side finished 2023 far behind leaders Real Madrid and Girona in the Spanish league, having lost their matches against both of them. And in the European tournament, while they secured first place in Group H, they also suffered unexpected defeats against Shakhtar Donestk and Royal Antwerp. This sparked criticism against the players and especially against coach Xavi Hernandez, but it also caused them a problem that could be very serious.

In 2025 FIFA will organize a 32-team Club World Cup for the first time. The competition will be held in the United States and will have a similar format to the World Cup, with a group stage and then knock-out stages in which the teams will eliminate each other until two finalists remain. The participating clubs will be the champions of the continental tournaments of the previous four years, but other sides will also qualify thanks to their good performances.

Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City have already secured their places by winning the Champions League in recent years, and will be joined by the next champion. But eight other European teams will also have their place, based on a ranking that compares the last international performances of each club. There, Barcelona are almost out and need a miracle to overcome Atlético Madrid.

They don't have much hope

If Los Blaugranas fail to qualify for the Club World Cup in this way, they will still have an alternative: to be invited by FIFA. But that does not seem likely, as Barcelona have been one of the clubs behind the European Super League, a project that neither FIFA nor UEFA like.