FIFA To Approve Major Club World Cup Rule Change Impacting Premier League Clubs

FIFA have approved a major change to the Club World Cup that could significantly impact Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City

The inaugural edition of the expanded tournament took place this summer, with Chelsea defeating Champions League winners PSG to lift the trophy.

But there was frustration within FIFA that the competition was played without the champions of England, Spain and Italy.

A cap of two clubs per country, combined with other teams having qualified, meant Liverpool, Barcelona and Napoli all missed out.

Now that cap is expected to be increased to three, allowing for three English clubs to compete at the next Club World Cup.

According to The Times, UEFA is unlikely to oppose the lifting of the cap but they are keen to avoid further expansion or move to a biennial tournament.

Chelsea won the Club World Cup this year. (Image: Jean Catuffe / Contributor via Getty)

Last summer's tournament featured 32 teams in the United States and FIFA has ambitions to expand that to 48 clubs.

While lifting the cap does not guarantee that league champions will be present, it increases the likelihood of top European sides being present.

FIFA's vice president Victor Montagliani addressed the issue.

He said: "After the first one, like running any business, after your first month, you ask do you have enough people?

"Do you have the right product?

“We need to discuss with stakeholders like the ECA in Europe, was the format the right format?

"Do we need to have more clubs, or do we have a different variety of clubs in terms of how they qualify?”

Victor Montagliani has proposed a change to the Club World Cup format. (Image: Omar Vega / Stringer via Getty)

Teams qualify either through winning the Champions League over the past four years or via UEFA's club coefficient.

Despite Liverpool winning the Premier League and having a strong coefficient, they were absent from the summer tournament because Chelsea and Manchester City had won the Champions League in that four-year cycle.

Currently, City and Liverpool have the best coefficients of the English sides, with fourth and fifth, respectively.

Arsenal are 11th, closely followed by Chelsea in 12th, while Manchester United are not far back in 16th.

However, their absence from European competition this year will likely result in a decline in their ranking.

While it is impossible to predict future Champions League winners, the relaxation of the cap is a boost for English sides.

FIFA has not yet confirmed the location of the 2029 edition but it will be held during the summer, ruling out a potential Qatar bid.

The Guardian reported that Spain and Morocco are the most likely hosts for the next Club World Cup.