Fifa to launch 32-team Club WC in 2025

· Qatar 2022 praised for its ‘unique cohesive power’

· Fifa Football Agent Regulations approved

DOHA, DEC 16

The Fifa Council approved an expanded 32-team Fifa Club World Cup set to begin in June 2025 and take place every four years, Fifa President Gianni Infantino announced in Doha on Friday.

The men’s football tournament was planned as a 24-team tournament in 2021 but was cancelled due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

Infantino said that through the Qatar World Cup 2022 “football reinforced its unique cohesive power by uniting the world in a spirit of peace and friendship.”

“Ahead of the final, Qatar 2022 was an incredible success on all fronts. The fans from across the world were accorded a warm reception by the GCC people and it was a whole new exchange of culture and friendship,” Infantino told a press conference after the Fifa Council meeting.

Infantino said the world soccer body is “positively bullish” about their future prospects after the Fifa Council adopted several key decisions.

While confirming that Fifa’s revenue at year end would stand at USD 7.5 billion – USD 1 billion more than budgeted – the Fifa Council approved the budget for the 2023-2026 cycle, which will see a revenue of USD 11 billion, of which a substantially increased proportion will be allocated to football investment, amounting to USD 9.7 billion.

The next World Cup will be a 48-team edition in the USA, Mexico and Canada in 2026.

“Talks are still on regarding the format of group stages, whether to hold three-team groups of 16 or four-team groups of 12,” the Fifa chief said.

In relation to the Talent Development Scheme (TDS) which is led by Arsene Wenger, Chief of Global Football Development, the Fifa Council approved a dedicated funding allocation of USD 200 million to cover the 2023-2026 operational life cycle of this ground-breaking initiative, which aims to create a sustainable legacy for long-term player development by helping each member association (MA) reach its full potential.

MATCH CALENDARS ENDORSED

Several key strategic principles related to the international match calendars and competitions for both men’s and women’s football were endorsed to the Fifa Council.

The windows for the international match calendar as of 2025 would include one extended window with four matches in late September and early October to replace the current two separate windows in September and October, with the other windows (November, March and June) unchanged.

In order to increase the possibilities for teams from different confederations to play each other, Fifa would launch friendly tournaments – ‘Fifa World Series’ – which would take place in the March window in even years.

The decision for the Fifa World Cup 2030 host will also be made in 2024, with the bid regulations to be published early next year, Infantino said.

WOMEN’S TOURNAMENTS

For women’s football, the current international match calendar structure will remain unchanged until 2025, with the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2027 and 2031 hosts to be decided in 2024 and 2025 respectively. The creation of a new Fifa Women’s Club World Cup, a new Fifa Futsal Women’s World Cup and the expansion of the Olympic Games Women’s tournament from 12 to 16 teams have also been endorsed.

The principles also include proposals to revise Fifa’s youth tournament inventory – including expanded annual Under-17 tournaments, both for boys and girls.

“The U17 and U19 tournaments for boys and girls are now planned annually instead of two years,” Infantino said.

MOROCCO, UAE AND SEYCHELLES TO HOST FIFA TOURNEYS

The Fifa Council also appointed the Moroccan Football Association as the host for the Fifa Club World Cup 2022, which will take place from February 1 to 11, 2023. It also confirmed that the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup 2023 will be hosted by the United Arab Emirates Football Association and the 2025 edition by the Seychelles Football Federation.

The Fifa Council took a major step towards the establishment of a fairer and more transparent football transfer system by approving the Fifa Football Agent Regulations, which seek to introduce basic service standards for football agents and their clients, including a mandatory licensing system, the prohibition of multiple representation to avoid conflicts of interest and the introduction of a cap on commissions, whose objective is to reinforce contractual stability, protect the integrity of the transfer system and achieve greater financial transparency.