Why Boca Juniors and River Plate could go to the Club World Cup without winning the Copa Libertadores

Following the 74th FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, major changes in football are on the horizon. One of the topics discussed at the meeting was the new Club World Cup format to restore the appeal of one of the most coveted trophies for teams across the planet. With chairman Gianni Infantino at the helm, the body that regulates the sport released a statement detailing changes to the competition from 2024.

First of all, it should be specified that the event as it is currently known will be suspended after the 2023 edition to make way for the new version. The competition will feature the champions of the main club competitions from all confederations and conclude with a final which will be played on neutral ground, between the winner of the Champions League and the winner of the intercontinental qualifiers.

The all-new Club World Cup will then feature 32 teams and will take place every four years from June 2025. “The new Men’s Club World Cup will take place in 2025 and will feature 32 teams. We’re going to do it like a World Cup,” Infantino told a press conference. It’s worth remembering that this brand new system was going to start rolling out in 2021. Even the first edition already had a seat and a confirmed number of teams: it would be in China with 24 teams, but the coronavirus pandemic has put plans on hold.

The two teams already classified by Conmebol are Palmeiras (winner of the Libertadores 2021) and Flamengo (winner of the tournament in 2022). But why could Boca Juniors and River Plate qualify without needing to win the 2023 or 2024 editions?

It is that the two remaining places for South America, apart from the champions, will be allocated to the two best clubs located in the classification established by Conmebol during these four years. Currently, the first place is occupied by the Millionaire, while today Xeneize would take the other place since he was fourth (ahead of them are Palmeiras and Flamengo, teams that sealed their ticket by being champions of America).

Another asterisk that would benefit the two most popular entities in Argentina is that only two teams from each country will be able to qualify, except that another classifies continental champion. Therefore, via the CONMEBOL club rankings, no other Brazilian team could enter as Palmeiras and Flamengo are ranked for winning the last two editions of the Copa Libertadores.

Some of the points that were communicated to the FIFA Council:

– For Confederations with more than four places, access will be given to the champions of the last four editions of the main continental competition, while the rest of the places will be determined by ranking during this four-year period.

– For four-seater Confederations, access will be for the last four champions of the main continental competition of this period.

– For quota-based Confederations, the ranked club will be the one with the best ranking to decide among the last four champions of the main continental competition during this period.

– For the host country, the definition of its quota will be decided later.

– If a club wins two or more editions of the Confederation’s main continental competition during the qualification period, a ranking based on sporting criteria will be used to determine who advances to this place.

– A limit of two teams per country will apply, except when more than two teams from the same country win the Confederation’s main continental competition.

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