FIFA is reportedly considering MLS’ LAFC and Mexico’s Club America as the Club World Cup replacement for Club Leon, who were removed from the competition earlier this month after they were found to be in violation of competition rules.
LAFC is in the mix to enter the Club World Cup, per ESPN, after losing to Club Leon in the final of the 2023 Concacaf Champions League, which is how Club Leon qualified for the competition. Club America, meanwhile, are the highest-ranked Concacaf team that are not already part of the 32-team field for the Club World Cup and are also under consideration for the empty slot. FIFA is contemplating the idea of a one-game playoff between LAFC and Club America for that spot, though it is unclear if the plans are locked in at this time.
Club Leon were kicked out of this summer’s Club World Cup after Costa Rica’s Alajuelense submitted a complaint in February to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) that the Mexican side were in violation of competition rules around ownership. Two clubs that share an ownership group are not allowed to take part in the Club World Cup and after realizing that Club Leon were owned by Grupo Pachuca, which also owns Pachuca, FIFA decided on March 23 to boot Club Leon out of the competition.
The Mexican club have since filed an appeal to CAS, who will hear their argument on April 23 in Madrid. LAFC and Club America now need to collect their own legal documents by Wednesday before making their arguments during the CAS proceedings, while Alajuelense will also be present to make their own case. FIFA will not act upon its plans to replace Club Leon until CAS’ process is complete.
Whichever team makes the cut for the Club World Cup will be scheduled to face England’s Chelsea, Tunisia’s Esperance de Tunis and Brazil’s Flamengo in the group stage in June.
LAFC
Let’s get the easy one out of the way – if Club Leon qualified by winning the 2023 Concacaf Champions League, there’s a very reasonable argument to be made that the runners-up of that competition, LAFC, should get the slot instead.
Club America
Now for the fairly easy but somewhat complicated pick. FIFA has used a four-year ranking in several confederations to determine some of the entries for the Club World Cup, which have not necessarily corresponded with the rankings the individual confederations have compiled but have not really been questioned. FIFA could borrow from Concacaf’s rankings, and if they did, they would find that Club America is the highest-ranked team there that has not currently qualified for the competition. Head coach Andre Jardine is conflicted about his team’s participation, though.
“León should go to the Club World Cup. I’m sad for the institution, and I’d like them to find a solution so they can go,” Jardine said, per ESPN. “If it doesn’t happen, then América has been doing things well for a long time. It’s true that they haven’t yet won the Concacaf Champions Cup, which is a dream of ours and a very clear objective. We’re leading most of the Mexican tournaments, and the Concacaf ranking, which is one of the criteria. If you ask me if I want to go to the Club World Cup, of course, it’s true, but I’d like to go to the Club World Cup by achieving it on the field. That’s what we’re working towards.”
The Long Shots
The recent report suggests that FIFA will look for the most logical solution to fill the Club World Cup vacancy, which is not something world soccer’s governing body is known for. The vibe of this competition, which will see the field expand from eight teams to 32, has been an entirely unserious one – players and coaches have complained about fixture congestion for months, while landing anything from venues to broadcast partners and sponsors has been a struggle. That’s without including the sporting elements associated with the Club World Cup – the four-year ranking has been confusing and when FIFA had the chance to select a team to compete on behalf of the host nation, it selected Inter Miami rather than the eventual MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy, who were the league’s pick.
Though FIFA said the Club World Cup berth was a reward for Inter Miami after winning the Supporters’ Shield, it was hard not to interpret the move as one motivated by Lionel Messi’s star power and the dollar signs associated with it. It is why, as the Club Leon fiasco unfolded, it was hard not to envision FIFA selecting a random team of their choosing to add some luster to the haphazardly-organized and unpopular competition.
