The Club World Cup gets bigger! More Premier League teams to enter expanded competition as FIFA strikes new deal

FIFA has agreed to create a joint venture with the lobby group to operate the Club World Cup that The Guardian reports may see more slots open up for Premier League clubs, with a total of 48 teams expected to compete when it next takes place in 2029.

The EFC, chaired by Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, represents more than 700 European clubs and already has a similar joint venture with UEFA for continental competitions. FIFA is understood to have been impressed with EFC’s commercial work on behalf of UEFA, whose media and sponsorship revenues for the Champions League and other club competitions have increased by around 25% over the next four-year cycle, from 2027.

The proposed expansion comes after several high-profile absences from the inaugural 32-team tournament as the champions of England, Spain and Italy were left out due to FIFA restricting entry to four previous winners of the Champions League, and eight clubs with the highest UEFA coefficient. There was also a limit of two clubs per country.

The EFC is understood to want that cap lifted to ensure the biggest teams from Europe's top league's are given a place, opening up oportunities for Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, who are all currently in UEFA’s coefficient top eight. By increasing the number of European participants, organisers believe the tournament's commercial value will skyrocket, solving previous issues regarding TV rights sales.

The driving force behind the expansion is undoubtedly financial, with Chelsea having already proven how profitable the tournament can be. Chelsea earned around £84m from winning last year’s inaugural 32-team tournament, leading other big European clubs to lobby FIFA for it to be expanded to increase their chances of qualification.

While the £740m prize money has been paid, with winners Chelsea thought to have earned about £84m, there are still issues to resolve regarding solidarity payments. The EFC’s current focus is agreeing a redistribution formula for the £185m owed to clubs across the world in solidarity payments from last year’s tournament, which, as has been reported, has yet to be paid.

The joint venture reflects a significant improvement in relations between FIFA and Europe's elite clubs. There was tension between the organisations before the first edition of the expanded Club World Cup in the US, which FIFA insisted on running themselves, but relations have improved. This includes the return of Real Madrid to the EFC fold after they formally withdrew from the Super League project.

Once the current issues regarding the 2025 payments are settled, the focus will shift entirely to the 2029 edition. The six confederations have yet to agree on how the £185m solidarity fees should be distributed. After that is resolved attention is likely to turn to discussions over the next Club World Cup in 2029 and its possible expansion to 48 teams.