Cristiano Ronaldo will miss the first 32-team Club World Cup in 2025 with his current team Al-Nassr. The Saudi Arabian club was eliminated from Asia’s Champions League.
Al-Nassr lost the quarter-final second leg against Al-Ain from the United Arab Emirates 1-3 on penalties. After extra time it was 4:3 (1:2, 3:2) for Al-Nassr, in the first leg there was a 1-0 win for Al-Ain.
Al-Nassr turned a 0:2 into a 3:2 and went into extra time. Al-Ain managed to equalize there, but Ronaldo forced the shootout with a penalty goal to make it 4-3 in the 118th minute. However, only Ronaldo scored there for Al-Nassr, three other Al-Nassr shooters did not convert their penalties.
Club World Cup every four years from 2025 with 32 teams
The previous Club World Cup with seven teams will be history in 2025. 32 teams are playing, the tournament will be held in the current format of the World Cup for national teams. The two best teams from eight groups of four advance to the round of 16, and the winner is then determined in the knockout round.
For Asia, Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) and the Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan) are certain to be there for the 2025 Club World Cup as Asian Champions League winners in 2021 and 2022. Two more teams can still qualify. Two clubs from Germany, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, are sure to be there.