Chelsea earned £85mln for winning the 32-team Club World Cup in July. Photo: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
FIFA has confirmed to continental confederations that the next Club World Cup will be staged in the summer of 2029, effectively ending Qatar’s proposed bid to host the tournament in the winter.
The governing body also indicated that the competition will feature more than the 32 teams that took part in the United States this summer, though it has not yet committed to the full 48-team model that will debut at the men’s World Cup in 2026.
Expansion has been strongly pushed by leading European clubs, with last month’s 32-team edition generating £750mln in prize and participation funds. FIFA is considering adding qualifying playoffs in the week before the tournament, building on the success of the single-leg playoff between LAFC and Club América earlier this year.
The decision to keep the event in the summer is seen as a concession to European leagues, who opposed a winter schedule. With Qatar now sidelined, Spain and Morocco have emerged as frontrunners to host the 2029 edition, ahead of their joint role in the 2030 men’s World Cup.
FIFA continues to face pressure over player welfare and legal challenges from European Leagues and the global players’ union, FifPro, amid concerns that tournament expansion could overload the football calendar.
FIFA declined to comment.
Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports that CSKA Moscow have received €6 mln from the transfer of Abbosbek Faizullaev to Turkish club Başakşehir, out of the agreed €7.5 mln.
