‎Why Liverpool won't play in Club World Cup 2025 despite UEFA ranking advantage

By: Shawn
‎The anticipation surrounding the inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is reaching fever pitch, but one of England’s football giants — Liverpool FC — will be conspicuously absent from the star-studded lineup. Despite their illustrious European pedigree and superior UEFA ranking, the Premier League giants will not be heading to the United States for FIFA’s revamped global competition.
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‎Liverpool miss Club World Cup 2025 due to FIFA's 2-club rule.
Getty Images
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‎The new-look Club World Cup is set to take place in the summer of 2025, with eight groups of four teams battling in a month-long tournament modeled after the FIFA World Cup. European heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Paris Saint-Germain will compete for global glory and substantial financial rewards. However, Liverpool, one of the most storied clubs in world football, will be left on the sidelines.
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‎Why Are Liverpool Not in Club World Cup 2025?
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‎The answer lies in FIFA’s qualification criteria, particularly the two-team-per-nation rule. While Europe has been allocated 12 slots, no more than two clubs from any one country can qualify via Champions League performance, unless a country has more than two different winners in the qualification cycle.
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‎Manchester City and Chelsea secured their places by winning the UEFA Champions League in 2022–23 and 2020–21 respectively. This left no room for Liverpool, despite reaching the final in 2021–22 and boasting a higher UEFA coefficient than Chelsea. Had Liverpool defeated Real Madrid in that final, their fate might have been different.
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‎Instead, Atletico Madrid benefitted from the rankings, as Real Madrid's two titles (in 2021–22 and 2023–24) opened up an additional spot for another Spanish club.
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‎What’s Next for Liverpool?
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‎With the Club World Cup 2025 out of reach, Arne Slot’s Liverpool will turn their attention to a pre-season tour in Asia. While it’s a missed opportunity on the world stage, it allows the team to regroup, rebuild, and prepare for future campaigns.
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‎Liverpool’s next possible appearance at a Club World Cup could come in 2029, based on future Champions League performances in the next qualification cycle.
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‎Confirmed Teams for Club World Cup 2025
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‎The global roster includes:
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‎• UEFA (12 teams): Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg
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‎• CONMEBOL (6): Palmeiras, Fluminense, Flamengo, Botafogo, River Plate, Boca Juniors
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‎• CONCACAF (5): Monterrey, Seattle Sounders, Pachuca, TBD, Inter Miami (host)
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‎• CAF (4): Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca, Esperance de Tunis, Mamelodi Sundowns
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‎• AFC (4): Al Hilal, Urawa Red Diamonds, Al Ain, Ulsan HD
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‎• OFC (1): Auckland City
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‎How to Watch Club World Cup 2025
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‎FIFA has partnered with DAZN, which will stream all matches live and free globally in multiple languages. Fans can follow the action from anywhere, except Anfield — where Liverpool will only be spectators this time around.

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