The next Club World Cup, in 2029, is already being prepared. As in the first edition in 2025 in the United States, the international tournament will bring together 32 teams, including 12 European teams. The last four winners of the European Champions League will qualify for this Club World Cup and PSG, double reigning winner, will be there, along with Al Ahli, Pyramids, Mamelodi Sundowns, Flamengo, Toluca and Cruz Azul, champions on their respective continent in 2025 or 2026.
UEFA has already revealed its access criteria. In addition to the winners of the C1 (or the only winner if PSG achieves a four in a row!), the clubs with the best results over four years will benefit from a sesame. The draw should take place in December 2028 and the competition could take place in Spain, Morocco and Portugal, one year before the (real) joint World Cup between the three countries mentioned.
Losc well ahead of OM?
The limit is again set at two clubs per country, as in 2025, which allowed teams quite far down in the UEFA rankings to participate, such as Benfica, Juventus and Salzburg. Barça was absent. It was planned to move to three clubs per European championship, which would have immediately given three Premier League clubs and as many La Liga clubs. But that’s not the case. And that doesn’t help Ligue 1 clubs either.
A year ago, OM began their first new format Champions League and already imagined themselves accompanying PSG at the next Club World Cup. It’s a complete failure. The Phocaeans finished outside the top 24 in dramatic fashion, during the final moments of the final day of the first phase. This led to a cataclysmic second part of the season without qualification for the LDC. AS Monaco is currently the 2nd French club in the “Champions League ranking”, but Losc, which has a second C1, can gain important points in the race for participation in the Club World Cup. And if OM does not qualify for the Champions League at the end of this season, their Club World Cup dreams will be shattered.
