On Saturday night, the final spot in the Club World Cup will be determined just two weeks before the tournament takes place. Los Angeles FC and Club America will face off for the final spot in Group D alongside Chelsea, Flamengo, and Esperance Sportive de Tunis. This is quite a lucrative playoff match as there is a full prize pot of one billion dollars for the participating teams in the tournament. Each Concacaf team is slated to receive $9.55 million before a chance to secure $2 million per win and $1 million per draw during the group stage of play.
They’ll be in this playoff due to the Mexican team Club Leon being banned due to multi-club ownership rules. Leon appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but lost that appeal, leaving it in FIFA’s hands as to how they’d be replaced. Both Leon and CF Pachuca are owned by Pachuca Group, and while there were plans to sell one of the clubs, that hasn’t materialized, leading to FIFA’s eventual ruling to ban Club Leon. Pachuca will still take part in the tournament, as one club was allowed to continue in the tournament, but not both.
Why are LAFC and America facing off for the spot?
Costa Rican side Alajuelense filed an appeal with CAS that if Leon or Pachuca were replaced in the tournament, they should be the team to replace them, but that was denied, allowing FIFA to set how the spot would be chosen. LAFC were chosen due to being the runner-up to Leon in the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup, while Club America is currently the top-ranked team in the FIFA Club World Cup confederations rankings. This gives Major League Soccer a chance at getting three teams into the tournament, while Liga MX will look to maintain its current three teams.
What’s at stake?
Given the prize on the line, this could be the most important match that either side plays all season. It’s more money than either team involved could earn via league play. Both teams are at different points in their seasons, as the Liga MX Clausura phase has wrapped up with America losing the final to Toluca. LAFC were actually scheduled to face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, but that match had to be postponed to make way for this one. But due to the Black and Gold not having a midweek fixture, they’ll enter the match on similar rest to Club America.
With manager Steve Cherundolo already announcing that he will step down at the end of the season, winning this match to make it to the Club World Cup will ensure he leaves Los Angeles on the highest note possible.
How to watch Los Angeles FC vs. Club America, odds
- Date: Saturday, May 31 | Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
- Location: BMO Stadium – Los Angeles, California
- Live stream: DAZN USA
- Odds: LAFC +150; Draw +220; Club America +165
What happens if the game is tied after 90 minutes?
If this playoff is level after 90 minutes, there will be two 15-minute periods of extra time followed by a penalty shootout if the match is still tied.
