FIFA have introduced a new ranking tool which shows the current teams in line to qualify for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, with Mamelodi Sundowns looking on track.
The new extended format of the Club World Cup will launch in 2025 with 32 teams, including four from the Confederation of African Football.
FIFA confirmed that three African teams will qualify via the “champions pathway” and one via the “ranking pathway”. As previous winners of the CAF Champions League, Al Ahly and Wydad Athletic Club have already booked their spots, while the winner of the 2023/24 CAF Champions League will also qualify.
Should Al Ahly or Wydad win the current edition of the CAFCL again, the two highest-ranked teams will qualify via the ranking pathway, because Al Ahly won the competition in 2021 and 2023 and results between 2021 and 2024 are taken into account.
Currently, Sundowns are the third highest-ranked team behind Al Ahly and Wydad, eight points ahead of Esperance de Tunis and 28 ahead of Petro de Luanda.
Sundowns could either qualify by winning the current edition of the CAF Champions League or by remaining the highest-ranked team other than the last three CAFCL winners.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will take place between 15 June and 13 July in the United States of America. The 32 teams will be drawn in eight groups of four team, with the top two qualifying for the knockout stages.
Current CAF ranking:
*Kaizer Chiefs, who appear in 11th in CAF ranking, have no chance to qualify for the 2025 Club World Cup, as they are not in any CAF inter-club competition this season.
Qualification mechanism explained:
With the objective of ensuring the highest quality possible based on sporting criteria over the most recent four seasons, starting from the group stage of the confederation’s relevant premier club competition, and incentivising the result of every game in the respective tournament, the following methodology for the new standard ranking was approved:
- 3 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
- 3 points for progress to each stage of the competition
Available slots
- UEFA: 12
- CONMEBOL: 6
- AFC: 4
- CAF: 4
- Concacaf: 4
- OFC: 1
- Host country: 1
Qualification criteria:
Confederations with 4 slots
- Champions of the confederation’s relevant premier club competition
- Only if there are repeated champions of the confederation’s relevant premier club competition, clubs with best Ranking within the Confederation
