After being banned from the FIFA Club World Cup due to multi-club ownership rules, Club Leon has lost their appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Consequently, they will need to be replaced in the tournament starting June 14. To fill their spot in Group D, which includes Chelsea, Flamengo, and Esperance Sportive de Tunis, FIFA has announced a one-off playoff between Los Angeles FC and Club America.
LAFC was determined for this playoff as the runner-up to Club Leon in the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup, while Club America is the top-ranked team in the FIFA Club World Cup confederation rankings. The playoff presents a significant opportunity, with each participating Concacaf club expected to receive $9.55 million in prize money, in addition to potential earnings of $2 million per win and $1 million per draw during the group stage.
“FIFA welcomes the decision taken by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to reject the appeals of CF Pachuca, Club León and Asociación Liga Deportiva Alajuelense in relation to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025,” FIFA stated in an announcement.
Leon’s ban derives from their shared ownership with Pachuca Group, and with plans to sell Leon not materializing in time, only one of the teams may participate in the tournament, continuing with Pachuca.
Costa Rican club Alajuelense also disputed the ruling, seeking a chance to take the spot of either Leon or Pachuca if they were eliminated, but their appeal was also denied, ultimately leaving the resolution to FIFA.
Recently, Club Leon enhanced their roster by adding James Rodriguez, aiming for success in both the League MX Clausura playoffs and the Club World Cup prospect, despite the latter now being unfeasible.
