Just two weeks before the draw for the new FIFA Club World Cup, a club is suing for participation: LD Alajuelense from Costa Rica still wants to take part in the tournament in the USA.
As the club from Alajuela announced, it justified its complaint with a violation of the regulations. According to FIFA rules, no two teams that belong to the same owner can participate in the Club World Cup. However, this applies to the two Mexican clubs CF Pachuca and Club Leon. Both clubs belong to Grupo Pachuca, a business organization that even owns several Mexican professional soccer clubs.
In fact, FIFA regulations prohibit two teams from competing at the same time if they have the same owner. “To ensure the integrity of the competition,” the relevant paragraph states, “no natural or legal person may have control or influence over more than one club participating in the competition”.
“We are confident that the tournament rules will be respected,” the official statement said. The club did not go into the details of the complaint, but club spokesman Marco Vasquez made it clear what it was about. FIFA’s regulations for the Club World Cup in the summer of 2025 state that two teams that belong to the same owner cannot participate, Vasquez told the television station Futv.
Draw of the groups on December 5
If the lawsuit is successful, it would see LD Alajuelense as a replacement for the tournament, which will be held in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025. For the first time, 32 teams will be competing, with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund representing Germany. The draw for the eight groups of four will take place on December 5.