Which MLS team will qualify for the Club World Cup if Monterrey wins the Concachampions?

By FIFA regulations, a club that has won the qualifying tournament twice or more will cede their extra ticket to another team from the same confederation.

Aram LedezmaAndy HallCiudad de MéxicoUpdate: Apr 3rd, 2024 16:10 EDT0

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Monterrey and León are, at least for now, the only Mexican teams that will be in the first, expanded edition of the Club World Cup with 32 participants. The two Liga MX clubs booked their ticket for their status as winners of the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2021 and 2023 respectively. With Rayados still involved in this year’s tournament, what would happen if they lifted the trophy? How would it affect the number of Mexican and MLS teams at the 2025 Club World Cup?

Good news for Philly

Under FIFA regulations, if Monterrey win this year’s CONCACAF Champions Cup, the vacant slot will go to the Philadelphia Union from MLS.

Competition guidelines stipulate a restriction of two teams per country classified through the continental tournament, with an exception for CONCACAF (América, Tigres and Pachuca have possibilities), but if a club wins the tournament on two or more occasions, the qualifying place will be for the best positioned in the region based on a FIFA ranking. At the time of writing, that team is the Philadelphia Union, with a ranking of 41 total points.

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Breakdown of teams at the 2025 Club World Cup by confederation

UEFA12 clubs (UEFA Champions League winners between 2020-21 and 2023-24 and eight other teams to be determined by a club ranking based on the same four-year period).CONMEBOLSix clubs (Copa Libertadores winners between 2021 and 2024 and two other teams to be determined by a club ranking based on the same four-year period).CONCACAFFour clubs (Concacaf Champions League winners between 2021 and 2024).AFCFour clubs (AFC Champions League winners between 2021 and 2024).CAFFour clubs (CAF Champions League winners between 2021 and 2024).OFCOne club (the highest-ranked club from among the OFC Champions League winners between 2021 and 2024).

Mexican and US clubs are dominating the race to claim the fourth and final @Concacaf place at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, with Lionel Messi's @InterMiamiCF still in contention. Ahead of @TheChampions quarter-finals, find out which clubs are still in contention to qualify:

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) April 1, 2024

Who has already qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup?

In a FIFA note on the classification system, it states that “sporting criteria” will be applied to define the points, and that “further consultations will be carried out with confederations and interested parties to define the calculation mechanisms” .