The FIFA-run competition, which is aiming to challenge the UEFA Champions League as the world's elite club competition, concludes on July 13 with the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey
13:01, 14 Jun 2025Updated 13:03, 14 Jun 2025
Liverpool lift the Premier League trophy
Liverpool lift the Premier League trophy and are ranked in UEFA top ten rankings but did not make Club World Cup(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Newbies to the forthcoming Club World Cup might be left scratching their heads, asking 'Why aren't Liverpool in the mix?
The revamped 32-team tournament in the United States is set to kick off on 14 June, with Inter Miami squaring off against Egyptian team Al Ahly at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.
The FIFA-organised competition, which aims to rival the UEFA Champions League as the premier club competition globally, wraps up on 13 July with the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. With only two clubs from each national association permitted, Manchester City and Chelsea will be flying the flag for England.
Despite being regular fixtures at the top of the Premier League and Champions League contenders in recent seasons, Liverpool and Arsenal have been left out in the cold. The main qualifying criteria hinge on Champions League success, with invitations extended to the last four winners prior to this year.
Chelsea and City secured their spots by clinching the title in 2021 and 2023, respectively, reports the Mirror.
With Real Madrid bagging the Champions League in 2022 and 2024, the remaining nine of Europe's 12 slots were determined by UEFA rankings. This would have allowed 2022 runners-up Liverpool a spot had City and Chelsea not qualified by winning the tournament.
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New European champions Paris Saint-Germain earned their place due to their consistent Champions League performances over the four-year cycle, regularly reaching the knockout stages. The other European qualifiers via UEFA rankings include Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Porto, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Benfica and Red Bull Salzburg.
Inter Miami CF's Leo Messi will be at the competition though
Inter Miami CF's Leo Messi will be at the competition though(Image: Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola's City are set to face Morocco's Wydad AC in their first Group G match on June 18, followed by a game against Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates, and concluding with a clash against Italian heavyweights Juve. Chelsea kick off their campaign in Group D against Mexican team Leon on June 16, before squaring off against Brazil's Flamengo and ES Tunis of Tunisia.
The top two teams from each group will progress to the round of 16. If both English clubs advance to the knockout stages as group winners, they would be placed on opposite sides of the draw and could only meet in the final, if they both make it that far.
The participation of Lionel Messi's Inter Miami, who are in Group A as the host nation team, has sparked controversy. The Herons clinched the regular-season Supporters Shield, but fell short of becoming Major League Soccer champions after a defeat to Atlanta in the MLS Cup play-offs.
Miami share Group A with Brazilian side Palmeiras and Porto.
Palmeiras, one of six teams from the South American federation CONMEBOL, earned their spot by winning the Copa Libertadores. Fellow Brazilian teams Flamengo, Fluminense and Botafogo also qualified by securing victories in South America's equivalent of the Champions League in recent seasons, while Argentine duo Boca Juniors and River Plate made the cut based on their CONMEBOL ranking.
The other US representatives are the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles, who triumphed in the Concacaf Champions League in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
In 2021 and 2024, the Mexican duet of Monterrey and Pachuca clinched the competition, both teams getting stuck in again this time around.
The Asian contingent is led by Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal, Japan's Urawa Reds, and Al Ain, all securing their spots through triumphs in the continent's Champions League. South Korea's Ulsan HD snagged another Asian berth thanks to their ranking.
Al Ahly dominated the Confederation of African Football's Champions League, nabbing the title three times in four years, with Wydad AC also emerging victorious during the qualification period.
ES Tunis and Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa fill the remaining African slots, their continental rankings earning them a place.Auckland City flies the flag for Oceania as their federation's Champions League winners.
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