Fifa’s Club World Cup to take place in summer 2029 - and not in Qatar

Fifa has told the continental confederations that the next Club World Cup will take place in the summer of 2029 in a move that would appear to kill off a proposed bid from Qatar to host the tournament. In another significant development, Fifa has informed the confederations that the next edition is likely to feature more than the 32 clubs that competed in the United States this summer.

The Guardian revealed in June that Fifa was under pressure from leading clubs to expand the Club World Cup to 48 teams, with the lobbying intensifying since last month’s tournament, which resulted in the winners, Chelsea, receiving £85m from the £750m prize and participation fund. While Fifa is understood to have indicated that some expansion is likely for 2029, an immediate leap to the 48-team model that will be used for the first time for the men’s World Cup next year is not guaranteed.

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The women’s World Cup is also due to expand to 48 teams in 2031 after two editions with 32 teams in a clear indication of Fifa’s direction of travel.

Fifa is considering an alternative structure for the 2029 Club World Cup based on a series of qualifying playoffs the week before the main tournament, with the winners advancing to the competition. A single playoff game between Los Angeles FC and the Mexican side Club América to determine the final Club World Cup entrant from Concacaf was held after the expulsion of another Mexican club, León, for breaching multi-club ownership rules.

Although it was introduced at the 11th-hour due to León’s regulatory issues, Fifa viewed the playoff as a success. Senior figures have expressed the view that a series of knockout matches could generate additional buzz before the tournament and at the end of the European season, as well as increasing the value of its TV rights. They were bought by Dazn for £750m this year in a deal funded by Saudi Arabia’s Surj Sports Investment.

Single-leg playoffs would create fewer player-welfare issues than almost doubling the number of matches from 64 to 104, which would be required if Fifa expanded from 32 to 48 clubs. Fifa is already facing a legal complaint from the lobby group European Leagues and the global players’ union, FifPro, while the European Commission is yet to decide whether to launch a formal investigation.

Fifa’s notification that the 2029 tournament will take place in the summer may help improve relations with European leagues, as there had been concerns it would be moved to the following winter if Qatar were granted hosting rights. Senior officials from Qatar held talks with Fifa in Miami in June about bidding for the tournament, but confirmation of the timetable may put them off.

Spain and Morocco are now the most likely hosts before they help co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup. Portugal, the third host nation, has yet to express much interest, but its smaller stadiums would be suitable for a pre-qualifying tournament.

Fifa may ultimately move to staging the Club World Cup every two years as it appears determined to challenge Uefa’s historical control of international club competitions, but that is not on the agenda until after 2030, when the current international match calendar expires.

Fifa declined to comment.

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