Real Madrid have denied they will turn down an invitation to play in next year’s Club World Cup after manager Carlo Ancelotti appeared to claim in an interview that the Spanish giants would boycott the competition over a pay dispute.
The competition will be expanded to 32 teams and will be played in the US for four weeks next summer after the end of the 2024-2025 season, with Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea all involved.
However, Ancelotti cast doubt on Madrid’s participation when he told Il Giornale that his team did not intend to play because FIFA did not offer enough money, and he expected other sides to follow suit.
But Madrid have since released a statement insisting they intend to play in the league they have won five times in the last nine years.
The statement read: ‘Real Madrid CF announces that its participation in the new Club World Cup that FIFA will organize in the upcoming 2024/2025 season has not at any time been in doubt.
Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid would reject an invitation to play in next year’s Club World Cup
Real Madrid have denied in a statement that they are planning to quit
Ancelotti then took to Instagram to emphasize that he had been misinterpreted and that he does want his side to compete in the newly expanded competition
Real Madrid has won the competition five times in the last nine years
“That is why our club will, as planned, participate in this official competition that we approach with pride and with the greatest enthusiasm to make our millions of fans around the world dream again with a new title.”
Ancelotti took to Instagram shortly afterwards and claimed his quotes from the earlier interview had been misinterpreted.
“In my interview with Il Giornale, my words about the Club World Cup were not interpreted as I intended,” he wrote.
‘Nothing could be further from the truth than turning down the opportunity to play in a tournament that I think could be a great opportunity to continue fighting for major titles with Real Madrid.’
His words were in stark contrast to what he had been quoted by Il Giornale, as the Italian publication claimed he told them: ‘FIFA forgets that the clubs and players will not participate in that tournament.
Ancelotti appeared to suggest that FIFA president Gianni Infantino (pictured) was not offering clubs enough money to participate in the Club World Cup
‘One Real Madrid match is worth €20 million and they want to give us that money for the entire competition. Negative.
‘Real Madrid, like other clubs, will reject the invitation.’
Madrid now looks set to join Chelsea and City, England’s two representatives in the tournament, after winning the Champions League in 2021 and 2023 respectively.
They make up two of 12 European countries invited to the competition, which includes the winners of Europe’s premier trophy from each of the past four seasons. The rest of the places on the continent have been allocated based on the club’s UEFA rankings for the past four years.
They will be joined by four teams from Asia and four from Africa, six from South America and four from North America. Oceania will receive one spot, with the last spot awarded to an MLS team on behalf of the host country.
Host cities in the US have yet to be determined.
The 32 teams are divided into eight groups, of which the best two qualify for the last 16 stage.
FIFA’s decision to expand the Club World Cup has been criticized in recent weeks over concerns about player welfare.
The leaders of the Premier League and LaLiga have threatened to boycott the competition and accused FIFA of ‘killing the game’ by adding more matches to the already packed football calendar.
Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano (right) believes the expansion is part of a ‘crisis’ for match planning
PFA boss Maheta Molango even revealed that legal action could be taken against FIFA if they do not backtrack on their plans to expand the Club World Cup.
“Those who run the game need to listen,” he told The Sun. “If they don’t, we as unions have a responsibility to the players to take action – and the legal route is the next step.
‘The governing bodies have had every opportunity to engage with us about this in a meaningful way, but they have failed to do so. The current workload of players is unsustainable.”
Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano also believes the move to a 32-team format is part of a ‘crisis’ when it comes to fixtures, suggesting the Premier League champions may also consider whether participation is in their best interests is.
However, PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi has no plans to withdraw his side from the competition and has insisted the Club World Cup will be ‘bigger than the World Cup’.