FIFA considering a 48 team Club World Cup for 2029

32 teams are participating in this summer's edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, including representatives from all continents. However, the criteria used for qualifying and the restriction of two clubs per country left out some giant clubs, particularly Spanish, English, and Italian league champions FC Barcelona, Liverpool, and Napoli.

That could change in the next edition (2029) if this summer's edition proves to be successful. It's been reported that FIFA will hold a consultation to expand the 32-team competition to 48 teams in 2029.

If that's the case, it would be consistent with men's and women's World Cups, which are expanding to 48 teams in 2026 and 2027, although it is still not certain if it will be repeated for the following editions.

Why is FIFA Club World Cup so controversial?

The Club World Cup has been met with a mixed response. For clubs not participating, it is a big money loss: a $1 billion deal with DAZN will be distributed between clubs (not in an equal measure), with the winner potentially earning up to $125 million. Even if FIFA promised a "solidarity goal" of $250 million for non-participating clubs, Barcelona, Liverpool, or Napoli will miss a lot of money.

But for clubs participating, it also means that their players may only have very little time to rest before training for next season begins in August, which could have worse repercussions in the health of the players. So, in reality, nobody is truly really happy about this competition, and nobody knows what to expect... particularly as it takes place in the US, a country mostly indifferent to association football.