In a surprising move just three months before the revamped Club World Cup kicks off, FIFA announced the exclusion of Club León from the tournament. Despite securing their spot by winning the 2023 Concachampions, the Mexican team was disqualified due to tournament rules that prevent a single entity from having influence over more than one team in the competition. León shares ownership with Pachuca, which also qualified for the tournament, and this conflict of interest led to their exclusion. This decision came after a protest filed by Costa Rica’s Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, which had raised concerns over Grupo Pachuca’s dual representation since 2024.
With León officially out of the tournament, the big question now is who will replace them. According to Bolavip, the leading candidate to take their spot is Liga Deportiva Alajuelense. Not only were they the club that filed the original complaint regarding multi-ownership, but they were also the highest-ranked non-qualified team based on the FIFA CONCACAF rankings published in December 2024, which serves as the official reference.
However, ESPN reports that Herediano, another Costa Rican club, is also in contention. Herediano is currently the highest-ranked team in the region when excluding MLS and Liga MX clubs. This advantage could be diminished if it is confirmed that the December 2024 FIFA rankings are indeed the valid reference for qualification.
Another strong contender is LAFC, the 2023 Concachampions finalists who lost to León in the final. With León’s disqualification, LAFC could potentially claim the spot as the tournament’s runners-up.
Related News
Additionally, Club América, the top-ranked Mexican team in both the CONCACAF and FIFA club rankings, could also make a case for the spot. However, with two Mexican teams already qualified for the tournament, their bid may be complicated. Similarly, Philadelphia Union, the highest-ranked MLS team in the CONCACAF FIFA rankings prior to the host spot being awarded to Inter Miami, faces the same dilemma. With both Miami and Seattle already qualified, the maximum limit of two teams per country would have been reached, making their inclusion unlikely without a change in the regulations.
In response to the exclusion, León has already announced plans to appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Meanwhile, FIFA is expected to announce the replacement team in the coming hours. This decision, which will determine the team to take León’s place in Group D alongside Chelsea, Flamengo, and Espérance, is set to send shockwaves through the CONCACAF board.
