Next Monday the draw will be held that will shape the group stage of the Copa Libertadores. For many teams it will be the beginning of the path to lift the highest continental title and establish themselves in history, but in this edition there is one more objective at stake: qualifying for the 2025 Club World Cup.
Starting next year this competition will be held every four years and with a new format. It will bring together 32 teams from the different confederations that will be divided into eight groups of four, with the first two qualifying for the round of 16 and single-match eliminations until the final, without a duel for third place.
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The first edition with this form will be held from June 15 to July 13 in the United States. Although the figures are not officially confirmed, the information that emerged speaks of a total of 2.5 billion euros in prizes, with 50 million just for participating and bonuses depending on the results.
For this new tournament, UEFA will provide 12 teams, with ten already confirmed: Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus. The other two places will come from the champion of the current Champions League, in case it is a club that no longer has a ticket, and from the best placed in a UEFA ranking, with FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid at the forefront among the who still do not have a secured place.
Ten European teams qualified for Mundial de Clubes FIFA 25, two to go! 🔒🧵
🏴 @ManCity
🏴 @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/e42a9MxW7y— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 12, 2024
For its part, CONMEBOL will have six representatives, with three already classified as the winners of the last Libertadores: Palmeiras, Flamengo and Fluminense. The other three places will be for whoever wins the next Libertadores and the two best placed in the confederation ranking.
There is a limit of three teams per country, so the Brazilian teams that will play in the Libertadores and that do not yet have a ticket to the Club World Cup (Atlético Mineiro, Grêmio, São Paulo and Botafogo) will only be able to be in the competition in the United States. lifting the highest continental trophy.
The two places that are defined by ranking have their own complexity. In this way, the current qualifiers are River Plate and Boca Juniors from Argentina, but the latter team cannot add more points for not participating in this edition of the Libertadores, nor will Olimpia from Paraguay. This leaves the possibility open for Nacional from Uruguay, which entered the regional competition yesterday by eliminating Always Ready from Bolivia on penalties in phase 3.
🇺🇾🔥 ¡GRITO DE CLASIFICACIÓN!
🏆🛫 @Nacional, a Fase de Grupos de la CONMEBOL #Libertadores.#GloriaEterna pic.twitter.com/jH1y1s9x61
— CONMEBOL Libertadores (@Libertadores) March 15, 2024
From the other confederations, there will be four Asian representatives and another four Africans, one from Oceania, four from CONCACAF, plus another from the host country. Already qualified: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan), Al Ahly (Egypt), Wydad Casablanca (Morocco), Club León y Monterrey (Mexico), Seattle Sounders (United States) and Auckland City (New Zealand).
