FIFA, the authority that oversees football worldwide, has formally reclassified the Club World Cup, depriving previous winners of the title.
As a result, elite European teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, and Manchester City are no longer the champions of the Club World Cup.
According to the global football governing body, only Chelsea, the 2025 edition victors, may rightfully claim the FIFA Club World Cup title and, consequently, the title of world champions.
The title FIFA Intercontinental Champions will now be worn by all other past winners, regardless of their background or level of domination in the competition.
Renowned teams like Real Madrid, who have won the competition five times, Manchester United, who were winners in 2008, and Barcelona, who have won it three times, are all impacted by the decision.
This change in recognition is due to the tournament’s recently extended format, which was introduced in 2025. For the first time, 32 teams from six football confederations faced off in a single-event competition modeled after the men’s FIFA World Cup.
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Chelsea, led by new manager Enzo Maresca, took full use of the redesigned platform, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in a decisive final to win the trophy. FIFA currently views the new competition as the formal beginning of the Club World Cup era.
Four teams, PSG (France), Pyramids (Egypt), Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), and Cruz Azul (Mexico), have already secured their spots by winning their respective continental titles, and the next Club World Cup will take place in 2029.
