Dortmund favorite
For Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig, the knockout phase of the Champions League is also about participation in the 2025 Club World Cup. The fact is: only one other German team, alongside FC Bayern, will be at the premiere in the USA next summer new lucrative FIFA competition and Dortmund are the favorites.
In what is probably the most important ranking of the UEFA club coefficients, BVB is ahead of the teams that have not yet qualified with 67 points. Leipzig follows in third place with 61 points behind Atlético Madrid (62) and ahead of FC Barcelona (55).
With this team, FC Bayern won the 2013 Club World Cup
Bayern have already secured their ticket with 100 points. In addition, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, FC Porto and Benfica Lisbon already have the right to start, as do the Champions League winners of the last three years: FC Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City. Since Europe provides twelve of the total of 32 starters for the inter-continental comparison, there are still four places available: one for the “premier class” winner in 2024 and three via the UEFA club coefficient.
In principle, a maximum of two clubs from one country are allowed to take part in the competition. BVB and RB Leipzig cannot therefore qualify together using the UEFA club coefficient. If one of the two teams wins the Champions League this season, another German starting place will be forfeited in the rankings. However, a special case can arise if a nation has more than two titles. That would be possible for the English teams: Arsenal FC could join Chelsea and Man City if they triumph in the Champions League.
With 32 teams and 63 games: FIFA’s Club World Cup will take place in the USA in 2025
There are two points for every win in the knockout phase, one point for a draw and one point for moving into the next round. A maximum of 17 points are still available until the final on June 1st at Wembley. A calculation example illustrates BVB’s good starting position: If Dortmund loses both round of 16 games against PSV Eindhoven and Leipzig wins both games against Real Madrid and one of the following quarter-finals, RB would have made up for the six points behind BVB and would be in the club’s World Cup there. A difficult undertaking.
In addition, Leipzig coach Marco Rose is not a fan of the competition: “Anything that comes on top of that is not responsible when it comes to the health of the players, I personally believe. And yet we continue to turn the wheel, continue to turn the screw. We know that our business lives and is driven very much by money. Accordingly, you don’t have to think such things are great, but you have to support them. That’s part of it.”
From Matthäus to Messi: All FIFA world footballers since 1991
The tournament will take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025 with a total of 63 games in the USA. Each team plays at least three group games and a maximum of seven games including the final. Because of the high strain on the professionals and the greatly shortened summer break before the upcoming World Cup season, there had already been criticism of the competition before Rose’s comments. However, the top clubs had agreed to the introduction through their association ECA and are participating in the marketing.
To home page