In a bittersweet twist for Club América fans, their team's hopes of participating in the 2025 Club World Cup took a hit after their recent failure to qualify through the 2024 Concachampions, where they fell to Pachuca in the semifinals. This unexpected outcome left them regarding the prestigious tournament from the sidelines, as they now face the challenge of seeing two other Liga MX clubs potentially represent Mexico on the world stage.
According to recent reports, León and Pachuca, both owned by Grupo Pachuca, alongside Monterrey, are confirmed participants representing Liga MX at the upcoming Club World Cup. However, as of March 20, 2025, neither León nor Pachuca has received official notification from FIFA regarding any possible exclusion from the tournament, despite concerns over multi-ownership regulations.
The situation has sparked speculation among fans, especially following León and Pachuca’s public statements emphasizing their active participation. “Club León has not been notified by FIFA or any other international sports organization about its exclusion from the Club World Cup 2025. Any news released today regarding our participation is due to a misunderstanding or a malicious leak,” the team stated. Pachuca echoed this sentiment, reinforcing their intent to compete as scheduled.
Speaking of regulations, the 2025 Club World Cup will feature a new format comprising 32 teams and will distribute a whopping $1 billion among its participants. The tournament is set to take place in the United States from June 14 to July 13, 2025. Among the participants, León will compete in Group D against Flamengo of Brazil, ES Tunis of Tunisia, and Chelsea of England, while Pachuca is placed in Group H with Real Madrid of Spain, Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia, and RB Salzburg of Austria.
According to the FIFA regulations, the four Concacaf teams participating will include the champions of the last four editions of the Concachampions: Monterrey, Seattle Sounders, León, and Pachuca. However, it opens up a debate regarding the future of the tournament representation should either León or Pachuca face exclusion.
In a hypothetical scenario, if either team were to be removed due to ownership issues, an opportunity opens up for another CONCACAF club to take their place based on criteria that involve performance ranking. Although Monterrey and León hold firm standings, América fans have begun to dream of a possible invitation since it’s theoretically plausible that a drop in representation could pave the way for them.
Club América supporters are not yet giving up hope. They believe that if FIFA excludes either León or Pachuca, they could be among the fans eligible to see their team compete in the tournament. This sentiment is largely based on the notion that the governing body would likely seek to replace any excluded teams with other Liga MX clubs. “If a Mexican team drops out of the event, we expect that another from our league will take their place,” fans are speculating.
Currently, the discourse continues to run rampant, with ongoing deliberations about the legitimacy of the multi-ownership rules in light of previous tournaments. Fans of Club América are anxiously following these developments, nurturing the flickering hope that their team could possibly redeem itself by entering the 2025 Club World Cup.
Besides the excitement on the field, the 2025 Club World Cup promises a bounty of opportunities, not only for participating teams to showcase their skills on an international stage but also for fans to experience the environment of world-class competition. The stakes are particularly high as clubs vie for a share of the $1 billion purse that FIFA will distribute among participating teams, making advances through the tournament even more lucrative.
As the World Cup approaches, the fate of León and Pachuca remains uncertain, with their participation still subject to FIFA's regulations. The fans, for now, remain hopeful that despite the shadows cast by the multi-ownership issue, they will witness their teams ready to make Mexico proud at the global level.
Ultimately, while Club América’s path may be murky without a vaccination in the immediate term, the shifting tides of qualification open a window of possibility. With every new update, the anticipation grows, fueling hopes that the upcoming Club World Cup could feature the fireworks of Liga MX talent transcending borders.
