Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, the reigning Champions League champions, announced that the club will not participate in the upcoming 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
FIFA plans to significantly revamp the Club World Cup by expanding it to 32 teams and holding it in the summer of 2025.
The tournament will take place in the United States, but details about television rights and prize money are still being negotiated.
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Ancelotti, who led Real Madrid to win both La Liga and the Champions League this season, mentioned that FIFA has offered around €20 million for their participation.
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In an interview with Il Giornale, he expressed concerns about the new tournament format and confirmed that Real Madrid will not be the only team declining FIFA’s offer.
“FIFA forget players and clubs will not participate in that tournament”.
“A single Real Madrid match is worth 20 million and FIFA wants to give us that amount for the whole cup. Negative. Like us, other clubs will reject the invitation,” Ancelotti told Il Giornale.
However, Real Madrid has confirmed their participation in the 2024 edition of the Club World Cup, which will follow the traditional format featuring the champions of each continent.
In this tournament, they will compete against Pachuca (CONCACAF), Al-Ain (AFC), Al-Ahly (CAF), Auckland City (OFC), and the winner of the 2024 Copa Libertadores.
