Chelsea CAS ruling adds pressure to Club World Cup qualification
Chelsea’s 2025 FIFA Club World Cup preparations have been thrown into chaos after a shock ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The ruling, which concerned the eligibility of the Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg, could affect Chelsea’s chances of securing a place in the expanded tournament that is supposed to be held in the United States next summer.
The CAS sided with Zenit’s appeal against exclusion from the Club World Cup ranks due to UEFA’s suspension of Russian clubs in 2022. Zenit argued that their sporting achievements in the 2021/22 campaign, when they won the Russian Premier League, should count toward their qualification for the 2025 event. The CAS ruling has caused FIFA to rethink how it allocates points for European teams fighting for for the final few slots.
The timing could not be worse for Chelsea. They did win the Champions League in 2021, but struggled for sustained success in Europe over the past two campaigns. With only a limited number of UEFA clubs qualifying based on a ranking system which rates their performances over the last four seasons, Chelsea were already on the edge of contention.
The addition of Zenit may see Chelsea fall to an even lower position in the coefficient table. So with UEFA allocated 12 places of the 32-team format, every slot is a position that counts. FIFA has not confirmed whether the CAS decision will directly add Zenit to the list or if it will force the governing body to change its qualification method.
FIFA’s Club World Cup plan under renewed scrutiny
The 2025 version of the tournament, set to take place in the United States, has come under increasing criticism in recent years due to its qualification process. Introduced to reward consistency and excellence in the continental competition, the rating system is now under pressure to change as a result of legal and political challenges. The CAS decision in the Chelsea case does nothing to clarify this.
Europe’s 12-team share includes the winners of the last four Champions Leagues — Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea, and potentially the 2025 champion — as well as top-ranked teams by UEFA coefficient. Chelsea, whose victory in 2021 they had hoped would see them off, are once again left to wonder as clubs like Juventus, Barcelona and RB Leipzig edge them on points gathered in recent seasons.
The CAS decision could also lead other excluded clubs to appeal, throwing FIFA’s selection process into chaos. Clubs in nations currently under UEFA suspension or sanction may apply if they have been successful during the period of any suspension or sanction.
Norwegian club SK Brann claimed victory for free speech on Sunday with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling that they did not have to pay a fine imposed by UEFA after fans chanted "UEFA Mafia" and displayed banners with the same message. https://t.co/30yVy4x3iT pic.twitter.com/bHtupDVsRZ
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 6, 2025
For Chelsea, the decision underscores the thin line between being in and out in this high-stakes tournament. Failure to qualify would do more damage than wreck the club’s global aims, it would strike at its commercial and sporting reasons for being. Participation in the Club World Cup offers significant financial rewards and global exposure—especially important for a club seeking to rebuild its stature under new ownership.
Author’s Opinion
Chelsea CAS ruling adds another layer of chaos to a confused Club World Cup qualifying system. CAS acknowledged Zenit’s right to be considered but unintentionally put clubs like Chelsea at risk of missing out. This is not a matter of on-pitch underachievement, but of the legal interpretation changing the balance of competition.
For Chelsea, it serves as a further reminder that former glories must be built on the foundation of sustained performance. Though their winning the 2021 Champions League title has given them a seat at the top table, the club’s recent European travails could leave them an onlooker just as global exposure is more valuable than ever.
The wider problem is that FIFA does not have an open, flexible, widely accepted qualification system. If legal wars start to determine sports results, the integrity of future competitions would be in doubt. Chelsea — and many of them — now are in the position of waiting not for goals, but for decisions.
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