It is understood that UEFA does not object to FIFA's raising of the cap of participating clubs in each country from two to three, but will object to the attempt to change the event to one session in two years or expand the scale of more than 32 teams.
Some FIFA executives were disappointed that there were no champions from England, Spain and Italy in the first 32-team event held in the United States this summer, leading some critics to question whether this could be called a competition between the world's best clubs. Allowing three clubs in each country to participate will reduce the possibility of similar situations in the 2029 event.
FIFA may push for the expansion of the Club World Cup to 48 teams, but this may be opposed by UEFA. Even if the European Club Association expresses its support, UEFA firmly opposes any attempt to increase the frequency of the event to once every four years. The future of the event is expected to be presented at a FIFA Council meeting on Thursday, but any decision is unlikely to be made on this at this moment. FIFA Vice President Victor Montalyani said the event, which is regarded as "club football anti-Christ" in Europe, has achieved great success. When asked whether it supports increasing the number of clubs participating, he said at the Leaders Sports Business Conference in London: "Just like running any business, after the first time, do you ask if there is enough staff? Is the product suitable? We need to discuss with stakeholders such as the European Club Association, is the right competition system? Do more clubs need to be needed, or adjustments are made in the way clubs advance?"
The 12 European clubs participating this year have been based on winning the Champions League title in the past four seasons or qualifying through the UEFA club coefficient (calculated based on the past four seasons). As Chelsea and Manchester City qualify for winning the Champions League, despite the high club factor of Liverpool, there are still no places to participate.
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