While the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup promises to be a highly intriguing tournament, certain factors diminish its significance—most notably, the glaring absence of FC Barcelona.

The Blaugrana will not be part of the competition, which will debut a new 32-team format and take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025. Barcelona’s absence is due to their failure to meet FIFA’s qualification criteria for the tournament.

This omission deprives fans of the opportunity to watch a team currently showcasing impressive football, led by one of the brightest young talents of this era, Lamine Yamal. Watching Yamal perform on the pitch is always a delight.

Moreover, the possibility of witnessing Barcelona face other major clubs—or even experiencing a Spanish clásico on U.S. soil—will now remain a missed opportunity in this landmark competition.

Why is Barcelona missing the Club World Cup?

FIFA established that for UEFA, the 12 teams qualifying for the 2025 Club World Cup would be selected based on their performance in the UEFA Champions League during the 2021-2024 cycle. The specific criteria include:

• Champions of the UEFA Champions League between 2021 and 2024.
• Club rankings determined by performance in European competitions during the same period.

Additionally, FIFA imposed a limit of two clubs per country unless more than two teams from the same association won the Champions League during this cycle.

Barcelona’s European Struggles

Barcelona’s European decline during this period was evident. The team failed to progress beyond the group stage of the Champions League in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons—a historic low for a club accustomed to reaching the latter stages.

Adding to their woes were humiliating defeats, such as their aggregate losses of 2-5 to PSG in 2021 and 4-6 in 2024. These results highlighted the team’s defensive and tactical shortcomings. Beyond reputational damage, these performances severely impacted Barcelona’s UEFA ranking, a critical factor in Club World Cup qualification.

Spanish Representatives in the 2025 Club World Cup

From Spain, the representatives for the 2025 Club World Cup are:

• Real Madrid, qualified as winners of the 2022 UEFA Champions League.
• Atlético Madrid, earned their spot based on their UEFA club ranking.

Barcelona’s absence from this historic tournament underscores the impact of their recent struggles in Europe and marks a significant moment in the club’s storied history.