Report: FIFA to Scrap Confederations Cup, Replace With Expanded Club World Cup by 2021
By 90Min, December 01, 2017, https://www.si.com/soccer/2017...-club-world-cup-2021
FIFA are planning to introduce a new 24 team tournament for football clubs across the world in place of the Confederations Cup, according to a report by Spanish outlet Marca.
This 'Super Club World Cup' would include teams from all football confederations: UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL (South America), CAF (Africa), AFC (Asia), OFC (Oceania), and CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean).
Like all international competitions, the tournament would run every four years and would seek to crown the best club in world football. Currently, the reported plan by FIFA is to scrap the existing Confederations Cup - which runs in the year prior to the World Cup.
If plans stay in place, that means that Germany are the final Confederations Cup champions after they won the competition earlier this year.
Europe will be allocated 12 of the 24 places for the competition, making it the largest confederation represented. South America will be represented by five clubs. Asia, Africa, and North America will have two teams and Oceania will have one.
It is understood that the teams from Europe can qualify for the tournament by being one of the last four winners of the Champions League, being one of the last four finalists, or by being a team with the best coefficient.
Under these qualification rules, four Spanish clubs could go to the competition - Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla. Surprisingly, only two Premier League clubs would qualify - Arsenal, and Manchester City.
While it has not been confirmed how teams from other confederations would qualify, it can be inferred than qualification processes would be similar. For instance, winners of the Copa Libertadores, the South American equivalent of the Champions League, could likely qualify.
The tournament would be divided into eight groups of three, with the first place finishers progressing to a quarter final.
The planned date for the first Super Club World Cup would be the summer of 2021.
