100-677: The InterLiga was the Mexico's qualifying tournament from 2004 to 2010, played between eight clubs to determine two qualified clubs from that country to the Copa Libertadores . From 1998 to 2003, the Mexican clubs competed in the Pre-Libertadores tournament as its qualification method, which consisted in two rounds. The first round called Selectivo Pre Pre-Libertadores was played between Mexican clubs, two clubs advanced to
200-619: A UEFA meeting he attended as an invitee, the creation of Copa de Campeones de America (American Champions Cup, renamed in 1965 as Copa Libertadores), as a South American equivalent of the European Cup , so that the champion clubs of both continental confederations could decide "the best club team of the world" in the Intercontinental Cup . On March 5, 1959, at the 24th South American Congress held in Buenos Aires ,
300-582: A World Champions Cup but only as Copa Rio, and thus the second edition of the cup, won by Fluminense in 1952, was hailed as a World Champions Cup by a minority of the Brazilian press, having Copa Rio been extinguished by the Brazilian FA soon later, and replaced with another cup , won in 1953 by Vasco da Gama . Still in the 1950s, the Pequeña Copa del Mundo (Spanish for Small World Cup )
400-421: A combination of factors in the cancelled 2001 tournament , most importantly the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner International Sport and Leisure (ISL), but in 2005 it changed to an annual competition through 2023. Following the 2023 edition, the tournament was revamped to a quadrennial competition starting in 2025. Views differ as to the cup's prestige: it struggles to attract interest in most of Europe, and
500-703: A football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested against the winners of the European Cup (since renamed the UEFA Champions League) Since 2004, the winner has played in the Club World Cup , an international competition contested by the champion clubs from all six continental confederations. It is organized by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA ), the sport's global governing body. Because Europe and South America are considered
600-493: A friendly similar to the one we would do in Tel Aviv , on 11 January, for US$ 255,000. — Dettmar Cramer , Bayern Munich 's manager, 1975–1977, commenting on the low relevance, prestige and rewards of the Intercontinental Cup after his team's victory in 1976 ; Jornal do Brasil , 22 December 1976. The Tournoi de Paris was a competition initially meant to bring together the top teams from Europe and South America; it
700-579: A hat-trick by Cristiano Ronaldo . The UAE returned to host the event in 2017 and 2018. 2017 involved the likes of Real Madrid becoming the first team in Club World Cup history to return to the tournament to defend their title. Real Madrid became the first team to successfully defend their title after defeating Grêmio in the Final, all while eliminating Al Jazira in the Semi-Finals. Al-Ain
800-502: A header to snatch victory for Barcelona and complete an unprecedented sextuple . The 2010 edition saw the first non-European and non-South American side to reach the final: TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of Congo defeated Brazil's Internacional 2–0 in the semi-final to face Internazionale, who beat South Korean club Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma 3–0 to reach the final. Internazionale went on to beat Mazembe with
900-696: A second-place finish in 2020 . These six clubs are the only sides from outside Europe and South America to reach the final. Auckland City from New Zealand earned third place in 2014 , the only time to date that an Oceanian team reached the semi-finals of the tournament. As of 2022, most teams qualify to the FIFA Club World Cup by winning their continental competitions, be it the AFC Champions League, CAF Champions League, CONCACAF Champions League, Copa Libertadores, OFC Champions League or UEFA Champions League. Aside from these,
1000-593: A victory without any problems and this match was no more difficult than a banal encounter at the European Cup. —A Dutch newspaper journalist from Amsterdam , commenting on the quality of the competition and Ajax's opponent after the 1972 Intercontinental Cup ; De Telegraaf , 30 September 1972. The indifference of the fans is the only explanation for our financial failure [at the Intercontinental Cup]. It would be much better if we had gotten
1100-590: A view to creating a Club World Cup, with ratification from Stanley Rous, who then had become FIFA president. In the same year, the Intercontinental Cup rose to existence. We want to win the title, not so much for ourselves but to prevent Racing from being champions. — Jock Stein , Celtic Football Club 's manager, 1965–1978, commenting before the play-off match of the 1967 Intercontinental Cup known as The Battle of Montevideo ; Evening Times , 3 November 1967. The Dutch team AFC Ajax claimed
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#17327756461071200-400: A weight of 4 kg (8.8 lb) and a height of 37.5 cm (14.8 in). Its base and widest points are 10 cm (3.9 in) long. The trophy had a base of two pedestals which had four rectangular pillars. Two of the four pillars had inscriptions on them; one contained the phrase, "FIFA Club World Championship" imprinted across. The other had the letters "FIFA" inscribed on it. On top,
1300-505: Is awarded to the runner-up, and the winner earns US$ 18,000,000. FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup is an international men's association football competition organised by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association ( FIFA ), the sport's global governing body . The competition was first contested in 2000 as the FIFA Club World Championship . It was not held from 2001 to 2004 due to
1400-464: Is the most successful club in the cup's history, having won the tournament seven times. Argentine clubs have accumulated the most victories with 25 wins, while Brazil has the largest number of winning teams, with 11 clubs having won the title. The cup has been won by 26 clubs, 15 of them have done it more than once, and seven clubs have won two years in a row. The clashes for the Copa Aldao between
1500-609: Is the object of heated debate in South America. The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in 2000 , during which year it ran in parallel with the Intercontinental Cup , a competition played by the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores , with the champions of each tournament both recognised (in 2017) by FIFA as club world champions. In 2005, the Intercontinental Cup
1600-479: The 2006 Copa Libertadores Finals in order to qualify for the 2006 tournament . At the semi-finals, Internacional beat Egyptian side Al Ahly in order to meet Barcelona in the final. A late goal from Adriano Gabiru kept the trophy in Brazil. It was in 2007 when Brazilian hegemony was finally broken: AC Milan won a close match against Japan 's Urawa Red Diamonds , who were pushed by over 67,000 fans at Yokohama 's International Stadium , and won 1–0 to reach
1700-580: The Asian Football Confederation had requested in 1967 participation of their champions in the Intercontinental Cup; the proposal was met with a negative response from UEFA and CONMEBOL. The 1968 and 1969 Intercontinental Cups finished in similarly violent fashion, with Manchester United manager Matt Busby insisting that "the Argentineans should be banned from all competitive football. FIFA should really step in." In 1970,
1800-936: The CONCACAF Champions League , which is contested during the same time period as the Libertadores, and whose prize is a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup . Mexican teams would not be eligible for the latter competition if they won the Libertadores because Mexico belongs to CONCACAF. 6 ( 2004 , 2005, 2007 , 2008 , 2009, 2010) 6 (2004, 2005 , 2006 , 2007, 2009, 2010) 5 (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) 4 (2004, 2005 , 2006 , 2009 ) 4 (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 ) 3 (2004, 2005, 2010) 3 (2004, 2008 , 2009) 3 (2005, 2007, 2010) 3 (2006, 2007, 2008) 3 (2007, 2009, 2010 ) 3 (2005, 2006, 2007 ) 3 ( 2004 , 2005, 2010) 2 (2006, 2009 ) 1 (2010) 1 (2007) 1 (2006) Bold = Qualified years to
1900-579: The Copa Libertadores , the CONMEBOL-endorsed South American equivalent of the UEFA-endorsed European Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup , the latter being a UEFA/CONMEBOL-endorsed "best club of the world" contest between the champion clubs of both confederations. Real Madrid won the first Intercontinental Cup in 1960, titled themselves world champions until FIFA stepped in and objected; citing that
2000-602: The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Moroccan club Raja CA , which finished second in 2010 and 2013 , respectively. Asia 's best representatives were Kashima Antlers from Japan , Al-Ain from the United Arab Emirates and Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia , finishing second in 2016 , 2018 and 2022 , respectively. North America 's best result was Mexican team Tigres UANL , which earned
2100-715: The 1895 World Championship consisted entirely of Scottish players – Scottish players who moved to England to play professionally in those days were known as the Scotch Professors . The first attempt at creating a global club football tournament, according to FIFA, was in 1909, 21 years before the first FIFA World Cup . The Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy was held in Italy in 1909 and 1911, and contested by English, Italian, German and Swiss clubs. English amateur team West Auckland won on both occasions. The idea that FIFA should organise international club competitions dates from
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#17327756461072200-535: The 2018 edition (counting their three Intercontinental Cup titles and four Club World Cup titles). On 3 June 2019, FIFA selected Qatar as the host of both the 2019 and 2020 events. Gonzalo Belloso , the Deputy Secretary General and development director of CONMEBOL , previously said that the 2019 and 2020 editions will be held in Japan. The 2019 edition saw Liverpool defeat Flamengo to win
2300-454: The 7th and 8th time respectively in the 12th and 13th editions of the FIFA Club World Cup. The 2015 edition saw a final between River Plate and FC Barcelona. FC Barcelona lifted their third FIFA Club World Cup, with Suarez scoring two goals and Lionel Messi scoring one goal in the Final . One notable thing that occurred in the 2015 tournament was that Sanfrecce Hiroshima made it to third place,
2400-652: The BBC sent 60 people to cover the tournament. This shows that it was the most important competition that they have taken part in in their history. They came here thinking they were going to win easily but they didn't count on the strength of Vasco. No Manchester player would get a place in the Vasco team at the moment. The Brazilians are the best players in the world, the Europeans do not even come close. — Eurico Miranda , Vasco da Gama 's vice-president, 1986–2000, commenting on
2500-581: The Club World Cup moving to Morocco. The first edition saw a Cinderella run of host team Raja CA, who had to start in the play-off round and became the second African team to reach the final, after defeating Brazil's Atlético Mineiro in the semi-final. Like Mazembe, Raja also lost to the European champion, this time a 2–0 defeat to Bayern Munich . 2014 again had a decision between South America and Europe, and Real Madrid beat San Lorenzo 2–0. The 2015 and 2016 editions once again saw Japan as hosts for
2600-554: The Copa Libertadores can be won by winning the domestic cups in these countries. Peru, Uruguay and Mexico formerly used a second tournament to decide qualification for the Libertadores (the "Liguilla Pre-Libertadores" between 1992 and 1997, the "Liguilla Pre-Libertadores de América" from 1974 to 2009, and the InterLiga from 2004 to 2010, respectively). Argentina used an analogous method only once in 1992 . Since 2011,
2700-559: The Copa Libertadores. Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores , also known as Copa Libertadores de América ( Portuguese : Copa/Taça Libertadores da América ), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournament is named after the Libertadores (Spanish and Portuguese for liberators ),
2800-407: The European champions relinquished participating at the Intercontinental Cup, resulting in either the participation of the European Cup runners-up or the cancellation of the event; thus, with the Intercontinental Cup in danger of being dissolved, West Nally, a British marketing company, was hired by UEFA and CONMEBOL to find a viable solution in 1980; Toyota Motor Corporation , via West Nally, took
2900-540: The FIFA Club World Cup winners. The 2005 version was shorter than the previous World Championship, reducing the problem of scheduling the tournament around the different club seasons across each continent. It contained just the six reigning continental champions, with the CONMEBOL and UEFA representatives receiving byes to the semi-finals. A new trophy was introduced replacing the Intercontinental trophy,
3000-518: The FIFA Executive Committee proposed the creation of a multicontinental Club World Cup, not limited to Europe and South America but including also the other confederations; the idea did not go forward due to UEFA resistance. In 1973, French newspaper L'Equipe , who helped bring about the birth of the European Cup, volunteered to sponsor a Club World Cup contested by the champions of Europe, South America, North America and Africa,
3100-711: The Mexican Football Association, demanded participation in the Intercontinental Cup ( either as the American-continent representantives in the Intercontinental Cup or as part of a UEFA-CONMEBOL-CONCACAF new Intercontinental Cup ) after winning the 1977–78 and 1980–81 editions of the Interamerican Cup against the South American champions ; the request was unsuccessful. The 1970s saw no fewer than seven occasions in which
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3200-649: The Toyota trophy and the trophy of 2000. The draw for the 2005 edition of the competition took place in Tokyo on 30 July 2005 at The Westin Tokyo . The 2005 edition saw São Paulo pushed to the limit by Saudi side Al-Ittihad to reach the final. In the final, one goal from Mineiro was enough to dispatch English club Liverpool ; Mineiro became the first player to score in a Club World Cup final. Internacional defeated defending World and South American champions São Paulo in
3300-577: The United States and Uruguay; of the nine, only Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay confirmed their interest to FIFA. On 7 June 1999, FIFA selected Brazil to host the competition, which was initially scheduled to take place in 1999. Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton , a pillar of England 's victorious campaign in the 1966 FIFA World Cup , stated that the Club World Championship provided "a fantastic chance of becoming
3400-520: The United States in California and Texas , two states with large Mexican populations. 2004 The two clubs qualified directly to the group stage of the 2004 Copa Libertadores . 2005-2010 Mexico-1 and 2 qualified directly to the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, while Mexico-3 played the first stage. The current league champions were excluded from the InterLiga as they qualify for
3500-604: The United States, during the off-season of the Primera División. The eight qualifying clubs were selected based on the accumulated points in the Apertura and Clausura tournaments of the Primera División, and divided into two groups of four, with even-numbered seeds in one group and odd-numbered seeds in the other. In order to assure a more neutral environment, and to take advantage of a large and relatively well-off pool of Mexican football fans, all matches were held in
3600-747: The Venezuelan tournament before becoming European champions). In 1958, Real Madrid declined to participate in the Paris competition claiming that the final of the 1957–58 European Cup was just five days after the Paris Tournoi. On 8 October 1958, the Brazilian FA President João Havelange announced, at a UEFA meeting he attended as an invitee, the decision to create the "best of Europe X best of South American" club contest with endorsement from UEFA and CONMEBOL :
3700-537: The backing of its President Teofilo Salinas and the Argentine Football Association ( Asociación del Fútbol Argentino ; AFA), refused to allow FIFA to have any hand in the competition stating: The CSF is the entity in charge of controlling, in South America, the organisation of the tournament between the champions of Europe and [South] America, a competition FIFA considers a friendly. We do not think it's appropriate that FIFA has to meddle in
3800-691: The beginning of the 1950s. In 1951, the Brazilian FA created Copa Rio , also called "World Champions Cup" in Brazil, with a view to being a Club World Cup (a "club version" of the FIFA World Cup). FIFA president Jules Rimet was asked about FIFA's involvement in Copa Rio , and stated that it was not under FIFA's jurisdiction since it was organised and sponsored by the Brazilian FA. FIFA board officials Stanley Rous and Ottorino Barassi participated personally, albeit not as FIFA assignees, in
3900-493: The best result from a host nation's national league champions. Teams from Spain have won the tournament eight times, the most for any nation. England has the largest number of winning teams, with four clubs having won the tournament. The current world champions are Manchester City , who defeated Fluminense 4–0 in the 2023 final . The first club tournament to be billed as the Football World Championship
4000-657: The champions of Argentina and Uruguay kindled the idea of continental competition in the 1930s. In 1948, the South American Championship of Champions (Spanish: Campeonato Sudamericano de Campeones ), the most direct precursor to the Copa Libertadores, was played and organized by the Chilean club Colo-Colo after years of planning and organization. Held in Santiago , it brought together the champions of each nation's top national leagues. The tournament
4100-496: The competition did not grant the right to attempt participation to any other champions from outside Europe and South America, FIFA stated that they can only claim to be intercontinental champions of a competition played between two continental organisations ( in contrast to the Intercontinental Cup, the right to attempt participation at the FIFA World Cup, through FIFA invitation in 1930 and qualification process since 1934,
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4200-511: The competition for the first time. In the 2020 edition , Bayern Munich beat Tigres UANL 1–0, completing their sextuple . The 2021 tournament was won by Chelsea, who defeated Palmeiras 2–1 after extra time for their first title. In late 2016, FIFA President Gianni Infantino suggested an expansion of the Club World Cup to 32 teams beginning in 2019 and the reschedule to June to be more balanced and more attractive to broadcasters and sponsors. In late 2017, FIFA discussed proposals to expand
4300-484: The competition to 24 teams and have it be played every four years by 2021, replacing the FIFA Confederations Cup . The new tournament with 24 teams was supposed to start in 2021 and would have included all UEFA Champions League winners, UEFA Champions League runners-up, UEFA Europa League winners, and Copa Libertadores winners from the four seasons up to and including the year of the event, with
4400-525: The competition under its wing and rebranded it as the Toyota Cup , a one-off match played in Japan. Toyota invested over US$ 700,000 in the 1980 edition to take place in Tokyo 's National Olympic Stadium , with over US$ 200,000 awarded to each participant. The Toyota Cup, with its new format, was received with scepticism, as the sport was unfamiliar in the Far East . However, the financial incentive
4500-505: The competition was ratified by the International Affairs Committee. In 1965, it was named in honor of the heroes of South American liberation , such as Simón Bolívar , José de San Martín , Pedro I , Bernardo O'Higgins , and José Gervasio Artigas , among others. Most teams qualify for the Copa Libertadores by winning half-year tournaments called the Apertura and Clausura tournaments or by finishing among
4600-427: The difficulty the Brazilian FA found in bringing European clubs to the competition, the O Estado de S. Paulo newspaper suggested that there should be FIFA involvement in the programming of international club competitions saying that, "ideally, international tournaments, here or abroad, should be played with a schedule set by FIFA". Palmeiras beat Juventus at Maracanã with over 200,000 spectators in attendance at
4700-519: The executive committee in December 1993 in Las Vegas , United States by Silvio Berlusconi , AC Milan 's president. Since every confederation had, by then, a stable, continental championship, FIFA felt it was prudent and relevant to have a Club World Championship tournament. Initially, there were nine candidates to host the competition: China, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Tahiti, Turkey,
4800-457: The fact that the FIFA Club World Cup was last held in its previous guise in 2023. The format of the tournament has caused controversy, with many clubs and national associations opposing its scheduling and accusing FIFA of prioritizing money over players' health, arguing that the addition of the new FIFA Intercontinental Cup could lead to competition overload and put players' health at risk. Africa 's best representatives were TP Mazembe from
4900-435: The farthest ever achieved by a Japanese club. This record would not last though, as the 2016 edition saw J1 League winners Kashima Antlers making it to the Final (outscoring rivals 7–1), against Real Madrid. A Gaku Shibasaki inspired Kashima attempted to win their first FIFA Club World Cup (a feat never done by any club outside of Europe and South America), but were denied by Real Madrid, who won 4–2 in extra time, thanks to
5000-491: The final of the 1951 Copa Rio, and were hailed as the first ever Club World Champions by the whole Brazilian press. However, as a number of European clubs declined participation in Copa Rio and their berths were given to less renowned ones, the quality of the eventually participating clubs was criticised in the Brazilian press, therefore the Brazilian FA announced that the following editions of Copa Rio were not to be hailed as
5100-564: The final. Starting from 2022, the match for fifth place is no longer played. The trophy used during the inaugural competition was called the FIFA Club World Championship Cup. The original laurel was created by Sawaya & Moroni, an Italian designer company that produces contemporary designs with cultural backgrounds and design concepts. The designing firm is based in Milan . The fully silver-coloured trophy had
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#17327756461075200-603: The final. In the final, Milan crushed Boca Juniors 4–2, in a match that saw the first player sent off in a Club World Cup final: Milan's Kakha Kaladze from Georgia in the 77th minute. Eleven minutes later, Boca Junior's Pablo Ledesma would join Kaladze as he too was sent off. The following year, Manchester United would emulate Milan by beating their semi-final opponents, Japan's Gamba Osaka , 5–3. They saw off Ecuadorian club LDU Quito 1–0 to become world champions in 2008. United Arab Emirates successfully applied for
5300-805: The final. The first stage pits the host nation's national league champions against the Oceanian Champions League winners. The winner of that stage would go on the quarter-finals to join the African Champions League winners, the AFC Champions League winners and the CONCACAF Champions League winners. The winners of those games would go on to the semi-finals to play the UEFA Champions League winners and South America's Copa Libertadores winners. The winners of each semi-final play each other in
5400-434: The finals became an exception to the away goals rule and employed extra time. From 1995 onwards, the " Three points for a win " standard, a system adopted by FIFA in 1995 that places additional value on wins, was adopted in CONMEBOL, with teams now earning 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss. The current tournament features 47 clubs competing over a six- to eight-month period. There are three stages:
5500-603: The first genuine world champions." The competition gave away US$ 28 million in prize money and its TV rights, worth US$ 40 million, were sold to 15 broadcasters across five continents. The final draw of the first Club World Championship was done on 14 October 1999 at the Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro. There they were claiming that the English weren't interested in the world championship, yet
5600-525: The first three stages join 28 teams in the group stage, which consists of eight groups of four teams each. The eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the knockout stages, which end with the final in November. The winner of the Copa Libertadores becomes eligible to play in the FIFA Club World Cup , FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the Recopa Sudamericana . Independiente of Argentina
5700-430: The first, the second and the knockout stage. The first stage involves 12 clubs in a series of two-legged knockout ties. The six survivors join 26 clubs in the second stage, in which they are divided into eight groups of four. The teams in each group play in a double round-robin format, with each team playing home and away games against every other team in their group. The top two teams from each group are then drawn into
5800-514: The four semi-finalists of the European Cup, both finalists of the Copa Libertadores, as well as the African and Asian champions; once more, the proposal was to no avail. UEFA, via its president, Artemio Franchi , declined once again and the proposal failed. The idea for a multicontinental, FIFA-endorsed Club World Cup was also endorsed by João Havelange in his campaigning for FIFA presidency in 1974. The Mexican clubs América and Pumas UNAM , and
5900-493: The host nation's national league champions qualify as well. The maiden edition of this competition was separated into two rounds. The eight participants were split into two groups of four teams. The winner of each group met in the final while the runners-up played for third place. The competition changed its format during the 2005 relaunch into a single-elimination tournament in which teams play each other in one-off matches, with extra time and penalty shoot-outs used to decide
6000-642: The host nation, also failed to happen. FIFA agreed with UEFA, CONMEBOL and Toyota to merge the Intercontinental Cup and Club World Championship into one event. The final Intercontinental Cup, played by representatives clubs of most developed continents in the football world, was in 2004, with a relaunched Club World Championship held in Japan in December 2005. All the winning teams of the Intercontinental Cup were regarded by worldwide mass media and football's community as de facto " world champions " until 2017 when FIFA officially ( de jure ) recognised all of them as official club world champions in equal status to
6100-402: The host nation. The teams are drawn into eight groups of four, with each team playing three group stage matches in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group advance to the knockout stage, starting with the round of 16 and culminating with the final. Real Madrid hold the record for most titles, having won the competition on five occasions. Corinthians ' inaugural victory remains
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#17327756461076200-408: The importance given to the tournament by the British news media , the level of European club football as well as Brazil's after his side's 3–1 win over Manchester United; Independent Online , 11 January 2000. The inaugural competition was planned to be contested in 1999 by the continental club winners of 1998, the Intercontinental Cup winners and the host nation's national club champions, but it
6300-462: The knockout stage, which consists of two-legged knockout ties. From that point, the competition proceeds with two-legged knockout ties to quarterfinals, semifinals, and the finals. Between 1960 and 1987 the previous winners did not enter the competition until the semifinal stage, making it much easier to retain the cup. Between 1960 and 2004, the winner of the tournament participated in the now-defunct Intercontinental Cup or (after 1980) Toyota Cup,
6400-459: The leaders of the Latin American wars of independence , so a literal translation of its former name into English is " Liberators of the Americas Cup ". The competition has had several formats over its lifetime. Initially, only the champions of the South American leagues participated. In 1966, the runners-up of the South American leagues began to join. In 1998, Mexican teams were invited to compete and contested regularly from 2000 until 2016. In 2000
6500-453: The match 3–1. The final was an all-Brazilian affair, as well as the only one which saw one side have home advantage. Vasco da Gama could not take advantage of its local support, being beaten by Corinthians 4–3 on penalties after a 0–0 draw in 90 minutes and extra time . The second edition of the competition was planned for Spain in 2001, and would have featured 12 clubs. The draw was performed at A Coruña on 6 March 2001. However, it
6600-460: The matter. René Courte, FIFA's General Sub-Secretary, wrote in 1967 an article shortly afterwards stating that FIFA viewed the Intercontinental Cup as a "European-South American friendly match". This was confirmed by FIFA president Stanley Rous. With the Asian and North American club competitions in place in 1967, FIFA opened the idea of supervising the Intercontinental Cup if it included those confederations, with Stanley Rous saying that CONCACAF and
6700-419: The next round called Liguilla Pre-Libertadores against two clubs from Venezuela , the four clubs faced each other to determine the last two spots for the Copa Libertadores. In 2004, Mexico and Venezuela were granted automatic entries to the Copa Libertadores for the first time. The FMF decided to create a national qualifying tournament for its last two spots, and the first InterLiga was held that January in
6800-401: The only continental club tournaments in existence at the time; the competition was to potentially take place in Paris between September and October 1974, with an eventual final to be held at the Parc des Princes . The extreme negativity of the Europeans prevented this from happening. The same newspaper tried once again in 1975 to create a Club World Cup, in which participants would have been
6900-400: The organisation of Copa Rio in 1951. Rous' role was the negotiations with European clubs, whereas Barassi did the same and also helped form the framework of the competition. The Italian press regarded the competition as an "impressive project" that "was greeted so enthusiastically by FIFA officials Stanley Rous and Jules Rimet to the extent of almost giving it an official FIFA stamp." Because of
7000-400: The previous season's Copa Libertadores are given an additional entry to the group stage even if they do not qualify for the tournament through their domestic performance; however, if the title holders qualify for the tournament through their domestic performance, an additional entry is granted to the next eligible team, "replacing" the titleholder. Unlike most other football competitions around
7100-417: The proposal. On 23 June 2023, FIFA confirmed that the United States will host the 2025 tournament as a prelude to the 2026 FIFA World Cup . The 32 teams will be divided into 8 groups of 4 teams with the top 2 teams in each group qualifying to the knockout stage. The FIFA Council also unanimously approved the concept of an annual club competition from 2024, called the FIFA Intercontinental Cup , in response to
7200-734: The remainder qualifying from the other four confederations. Along with a new UEFA Nations League competition, revenues of $ 25 billion would be expected during the period from 2021 to 2033. The first tournament would have been played in China; however, the tournament was cancelled due to scheduling issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic . On 16 December 2022, FIFA announced an expanded tournament that would have 32 teams and start in June 2025. The International Federation of Professional Footballers and World Leagues Forum both immediately criticized
7300-399: The right to host the FIFA Club World Cup in 2009 and 2010. Barcelona dethroned World and European champions Manchester United in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final to qualify for the 2009 Club World Cup . Barcelona beat Mexican club Atlante in the semi-finals 3–1 and met Estudiantes in the final. After a very close encounter which saw the need for extra-time, Lionel Messi scored from
7400-515: The same scoreline to complete their quintuple . The FIFA Club World Cup returned to Japan for the 2011 and 2012 editions. In 2011 , Barcelona comfortably won their semi-final match 4–0 against Qatari club Al Sadd . In the final, Barcelona won against Santos by the same scoreline for their second title. Messi also became the first player to score in two different Club World Cup finals. The 2012 edition saw Europe's dominance come to an end as Corinthians, boasting over 30,000 travelling fans which
7500-457: The season, the full name of the winning club, and the city and nation from which the champions hail. To the left of that information is the club logo. Any club which wins three consecutive tournaments has the right to keep the trophy. The current trophy is the third in the history of the competition. Two clubs have kept the actual trophy after three consecutive wins: As of 2023 , clubs in the Copa Libertadores receive US$ 500,000 for advancing into
7600-414: The second stage and US$ 1,000,000 per home match in the group phase, with an additional US$ 300,000 awarded per match won in that stage. That amount is derived from television rights and stadium advertising. The payment per home match increases to US$ 1,250,000 in the round of 16. The prize money then increases as each quarterfinalist receives US$ 1,700,000, US$ 2,300,000 is given to each semifinalist, US$ 7,000,000
7700-486: The semi-finals to play the European Champions League winners and South America's Copa Libertadores winners. The victors of each semi-final would play go on to play in the final. With the introduction of this format, a fifth place match and a spot for the host nation's national league champions were added. There are now four stages: the play-off round, the quarter-final round, the semi-final round and
7800-556: The strongest centers of the sport, the champions of those continents enter the tournament at the semifinal stage. The winning team also qualifies to play in the Recopa Sudamericana, a two-legged final series against the winners of the Copa Sudamericana . The tournament shares its name with the trophy, also called the Copa Libertadores or simply la Copa , which is awarded to the Copa Libertadores winner. It
7900-414: The third match was drawn. If the third match did not produce an outright winner, a penalty shootout was used to determine a winner. From 1988 onwards, two-legged ties were decided on points, followed by goal difference, with an immediate penalty shootout if the tie was level on aggregate after full-time in the second leg. Starting with the 2005 season, CONMEBOL began to use the away goals rule. In 2008,
8000-479: The top teams in their championship. The countries that use this format are Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Peru and Ecuador have developed new formats for qualification to the Copa Libertadores involving several stages. Argentina, Brazil and Chile are the only South American leagues to use a European league format instead of the Apertura and Clausura format. However, one berth for
8100-442: The tournament was expanded from 20 to 32 teams. Today at least four clubs per country compete in the tournament, with Argentina and Brazil having the most representatives (six and seven clubs, respectively). A group stage has always been used but the number of teams per group has varied. In the present format, the tournament consists of eight stages, with the first stage taking place in late January. The four surviving teams from
8200-438: The tournament. However, FIFA refused each request. The first of these requests was made in 1967, after a play-off match labelled The Battle of Montevideo . The Scottish Football Association , via President Willie Allan, wanted FIFA to recognise the competition in order to enforce football regulation; FIFA responded that it could not regulate a competition it did not organise. Allan's crusade also suffered after CONMEBOL, with
8300-537: The ultimate honour of being the very first world club champions. — Martin Edwards , Manchester United 's chairman, 1980–2002, commenting on the FIFA Club World Championship; British Broadcasting Corporation News , 30 June 1999. The framework of the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship was laid years in advance. According to Sepp Blatter , the idea of the tournament was presented to
8400-593: The winner if necessary. It featured six clubs competing over a two-week period. There were three stages: the quarter-final round, the semi-final round and the final. The quarter-final stage pitted the Oceanian Champions League winners, the African Champions League winners, the Asian Champions League winners and the North American Champions League winners against each other. Afterwards, the winners of those games would go on to
8500-637: The winner of the Copa Sudamericana has qualified automatically for the following Copa Libertadores. For the 2019 edition , the different stages of the competition were contested by the following teams: Bolivia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay Venezuela Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay Venezuela Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Paraguay Peru Uruguay Venezuela The winners of
8600-495: The winners of the 1991–92 European Cup , considered not participating in the Intercontinental Cup in 1992, and the aforementioned contractual obligation weighed in for their decision to play. In 1983, the English Football Association tried organising a Club World Cup to be played in 1985 and sponsored by West Nally, only to be denied by UEFA. Manchester United see this as an opportunity to compete for
8700-420: The world, the Copa Libertadores historically did not use extra time , or away goals . From 1960 to 1987, two-legged ties were decided on points (teams would be awarded 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss), without considering goal differences. If both teams were level on points after two legs, a third match would be played at a neutral venue. Goal difference would only come into play if
8800-599: Was a tournament held in Venezuela between 1952 and 1957, with some other club tournaments held in Caracas from 1958 onwards also often referred to by the name of the original 1952–1957 tournament. It was usually played by four participants, with two from Europe and two from South America. In 1960, FIFA authorised the International Soccer League , created along the lines of the 1950s Copa Rio, with
8900-495: Was cancelled on 18 May, due to a combination of factors, most importantly the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner International Sport and Leisure . The participants of the cancelled edition received US$ 750,000 each in compensation; the Real Federación Española de Fútbol (RFEF) also received US$ 1 million from FIFA. Another attempt to stage the competition in 2003, in which 17 countries were looking to be
9000-567: Was created in 1961 in order to, among other reasons, try to include its clubs in the Copa Libertadores and, by extension, the Intercontinental Cup. However, their entry into both competitions was rejected. Subsequently, the CONCACAF Champions' Cup began in 1962 . Due to the brutality of the Argentine and Uruguayan clubs at the Intercontinental Cup, FIFA was asked several times during the late 1960s to assess penalties and regulate
9100-525: Was designed by goldsmith Alberto de Gasperi, an Italian-born immigrant to Peru, in Camusso Jewelry in Lima at the behest of CONMEBOL. The top of the laurel is made of sterling silver , except for the football player at the top (which is made of bronze with a silver coating). The pedestal , which contains badges from every winner of the competition, is made of hardwood plywood . The badges show
9200-554: Was dubbed the "Invasão da Fiel" , travelled to Japan to join Barcelona in being two-time winners of the competition. In the semi-finals, Al-Ahly managed to keep the scoreline close as Corinthians' Paolo Guerrero scored to send the Timão into their second final. Guerrero would once again come through for Corinthians as the Timão saw off English side Chelsea 1–0 in order to bring the trophy back to Brazil. 2013 and 2014 had
9300-535: Was first played in 1957 when Vasco da Gama, the Rio de Janeiro champions, beat European champions Real Madrid 4–3 in the final at the Parc des Princes . The match was the first ever hailed as the "best of Europe X best of South American" club match, as it was Real Madrid's first intercontinental competition as European champions (the Madrid team played the 1956 Pequeña Copa del Mundo , but confirmed their participation in
9400-462: Was held in 1887 , in which FA Cup winners Aston Villa beat Scottish Cup winners Hibernian , the winners of the only national competitions at the time. The first time when the champions of two European leagues met was in what was nicknamed the 1895 World Championship , when English champions Sunderland beat Scottish champions Heart of Midlothian 5–3. Ironically, the Sunderland lineup in
9500-536: Was merged with the FIFA Club World Championship, and in 2006, the tournament was renamed as the FIFA Club World Cup. The winner of the Club World Cup receives the FIFA Club World Cup trophy and a FIFA World Champions certificate. The new format, which will come into effect with the 2025 edition, features 32 teams competing for the title at venues within the host nation; 12 teams from Europe , 6 from South America , 4 from Asia , 4 from Africa , 4 from North, Central America and Caribbean , 1 from Oceania , and 1 team from
9600-400: Was open to every FIFA member-country, regardless of the continent where it was located ). FIFA stated that they would prohibit the 1961 edition to be played out unless the organisers regarded the competition as a friendly or a private match between two organisations. The Intercontinental Cup attracted the interest of other continents. The North and Central America confederation, CONCACAF ,
9700-478: Was postponed by one year. When it was rescheduled, the competition had eight new participants from the continental champions of 1999: Brazilian clubs Corinthians and Vasco da Gama , English side Manchester United, Mexican club Necaxa , Moroccan club Raja CA , Spanish side Real Madrid, Saudi club Al-Nassr , and Australian club South Melbourne . The first goal of the competition was scored by Real Madrid's Nicolas Anelka against Al-Nassr; Real Madrid went on to win
9800-425: Was the first Emirati team to reach the Club World Cup final, as well as the second Asian team to reach the final in the 2018 edition . Real Madrid defeated Al-Ain 4–1 in the final , to win their fourth title in the competition and to become the first team ever to win it three years in a row and four times in total in the tournament's history. Thus, Real Madrid extended their international titles to seven after winning
9900-497: Was welcomed, as European and South American clubs were suffering financial difficulties. To protect themselves against the possibility of European withdrawals, Toyota, UEFA and every European Cup participant signed annual contracts requiring the eventual winners of the European Cup to participate at the Intercontinental Cup, as a condition UEFA stipulated to the clubs' participation in the European Cup, or risk facing an international lawsuit from UEFA and Toyota. For instance, Barcelona ,
10000-485: Was won by Vasco da Gama of Brazil . The 1948 South American tournament began, in continent-wide reach, the "champions cup" model, resulting in the creation of the European Cup in 1955, as confirmed by Jacques Ferran (one of the "founding fathers" of the European Cup ), in a 2015 interview with a Brazilian TV sports programme. In 1958, the basis and format of the competition were created by Peñarol 's board leaders. On October 8, 1958, João Havelange announced, at
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