Why has Ancelotti said Real Madrid will not go to the next Club World Cup?

Carlo Ancelotti is the latest member of the football community to voice his doubts about the revamped Club World Cup which is due to take place next summer in the United States. FIFA have expanded the tournament to include 32 teams in a move which has been criticized by many professionals who argue that the fixtures calendar is already saturated. Some have pointed out that the overload of fixtures is harmful to players’ health with several clubs experiencing widespread injury problems even in the current situation with less games.

New Club World Cup: more games, more time, less money

The 2025 Club World Cup will feature a group stage instead of the traditional knockout round with the top two teams in each of the eight groups advancing to the Round of 16. The tournament will last almost a month from start to finish although the top seeded teams will enter after the preliminary rounds. It will take place from 15 June to 13 July - at a time when players at clubs in the major European leagues are usually on holiday, if not involved in other international tournaments such as the Euros, World Cup... etc. Observers state that it is adding more games to an already congested calendar which only further complicates clubs’ scheduling, plans and arrangements to ensure that players get enough rest.

On top of that, as Ancelotti explains in an interview with Italian daily, Il Giornale, is the economic aspect, which he says won’t make it worthwhile for clubs like Real Madrid. He made his stance on the new Club World Cup clear: “FIFA can forget about that. Footballers and clubs will not participate in that tournament. A single Madrid match is worth 20 million euros and FIFA wants to give us that figure for the entire tournament: negative. Like us, several clubs will reject the invitation”.

The recently-crowned European champions are one of 12 UEFA association members to have qualified for the next edition of the tournament which includes the the winners of the last four editions of the Champions League. Just four vacant places remain to be filled.

Ancelotti turns 65

Elsewhere in his interview Il Giornale, Carlo gave his thoughts on a range of other topics - including growing old, as he celebrates his 65th birthday today. “I warned my children: I’m not old, I don’t feel these years”, said the five-time Champions League winner. The Italian also looked ahead to this summer’s Euros.

Sweet moment: “I continue to live the passion, the match, the game, my work. I overcame difficult moments, after the experience at Everton I had left the spotlight, they said I was old, like in Napoli.”

Real Madrid: “It’s special. Milan is in my heart: I played, I was a coach, it is a big part of my professional life. Madrid is Madrid, what’s better? History is respected here, all the footballers of the past have their photo in the sports city.”

Modric and Kroos: “Luka is a unique example of quality and professionalism. Unfortunately, Kroos decided to call it quits. He is quite typically German in how he makes his decisions, but he will continue living in Madrid. I told him that, if he changes his position in the fall, we will start over with a call.”

Euro 2024: “Germany, who plays at home, has an interesting team. Italy has lacked a generational replacement after the 2021 victory, I don’t know what possibilities we have.”