A jackpot of 50 million beckons: Club Brugge is eligible to become the very first Belgian participant in the Club World Cup

This has everything to do with the new World Cup for Clubs that the world football association FIFA wants to introduce from 2025. So far, the tournament has consisted of glorified friend matches between the champion of the host country and the six continental champions of the European, South American, Asian, African, Central American and Oceanic Champions League. This year’s edition has just started in Saudi Arabia and consists of just seven matches.

The new edition will continue with no fewer than 32 teams. With eight groups of four teams each, it will resemble the current Champions League, but like the World Cup for national teams, it will only be organized once every four years. The 2025 edition would be played in June and July in the United States, as a warm-up for the World Cup for national teams one year later.

Limit of two teams per country

Twelve of those teams will come from Europe. South America gets six tickets, Africa, Asia and North and Central America four and Oceania one. The last ticket is for one club from the host country, the United States. Winners of the Champions League in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 are assured of qualification in any case. As a result, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Chelsea are certainly participating. Outside Europe, Fluminense, Flamengo, Palmeiras, Al-Hilal, Al-Ahly, Urawa Red Diamonds, Wydad Casablanca, Monterrey, Seattle Sounders and Club León are also assured of participation.

The opening match of this year’s Club World Cup between the Urawa Red Diamonds and Club Léon. — © EPA-EFE

Club Brugge has a chance to become the first Belgian team ever to participate in a Club World Cup because world football association FIFA imposes a limit of two participants per country. It is not yet completely certain – there has been no official communication about it yet – but it appears that the remaining European places will be taken by the teams that scored highest in the UEFA club rankings from 2021 to 2024.

With 48 points achieved in 3.5 seasons, Club Brugge is currently by far the highest ranked Belgian team in 29th place, but a large number of the teams above them are the third, fourth or even fifth club from a larger football country. They are not eligible to participate.

Fighting with Feyenoord, Ajax and Rangers

Anyone who reduces the number of participants to two per country will see that Club Brugge is currently 15th in that ranking. If they could rise to twelfth place by the end of the current European campaign, they will in principle participate. The difference with numbers twelve and thirteen Feyenoord and Ajax is currently barely five points, while the difference with number fourteen Rangers is three points.

UEFA club ranking 2021-2024 (with two clubs per country)

1. Manchester City

116

2. Real Madrid

106

3. Bayern Munich 100

4. Villarreal 80

5. AS Roma 80

6. Chelsea

79

7. PSG 77

8. Inter 74

9. RB Leipzig 69

10. Porto 68

11. Benfica 62

12. Feyenoord 53 (PSV is the third Dutch club with 47 points and can also take this place)

13. Ajax 53

14. Rangers 51

15. Club Brugge 48

16. Slavia Prague 47

17. Shakhtar Donetsk 41

18. RB Salzburg 40

19. Stade Rennes 40

20. Dinamo Zagreb 40

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