FC Salzburg will take part in next year’s first extended Club World Cup after winning the last of the 12 places reserved for European teams.
A spot was previously reserved for this year’s Champions League winners, but all four semi-final groups have already qualified for the Club World Cup, so the spot has been reassigned. It is awarded to the club that has managed the most productively at the festival for the past 4 years and is not yet at the festival.
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Salzburg’s position was demonstrated after Arsenal were knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Arsenal would have clinched Europe’s final spot at the Club World Cup had they won the Champions League this season.
Some of Europe’s top clubs were eligible for this spot due to the two-club restriction for groups from the same country (unless more than two clubs won the continental title, as is the case with Brazil). Liverpool (7th), RB Leipzig (11th), Barca (12th), Napoli (15th), Sevilla (16th) and AC Milan (17th) are ahead of FC Salzburg in the standings, but have been excluded from other groups in their countries.
FC Salzburg, ranked 18th in the standings, has participated in the organisational phases for more than four years and reached the knockout stages in 2022.
Thirty-two groups will participate in the new Club World Cup, the first edition of which will be played in the United States. It will also feature six groups from South America, 4 from Concacaf, Africa and Asia and one from Oceania. The 32nd spot is reserved for the host confederation, it has not yet been announced how Concacaf will achieve its additional fifth spot.
Ten of the 12 European places were already known before this week, with Atletico Madrid and Barcelona also vying for a spot. Both La Liga clubs were knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday, meaning Atletico qualified because their four-year coefficient is higher than Barca’s La and there is now only one spot left for a Spanish club.
Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid will be the winners of the UCL qualifiers, 2020-21 to 2023-24. Bayern, Paris Saint-Germain, Internazionale, FC Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and Atletico occupy the coefficient positions.
Twenty-three of the 32 are already known and the box will be completed by the end of the year.
The 32 clubs will be divided into 8 groups of 4 groups, with the top two groups advancing to the knockout stages, quarterfinals, semifinals and final of the month-long tournament.