Real Madrid Opt Out of Club World Cup

Published by

Samuel Bolaji

In an unexpected development, Real Madrid have declined an invitation to participate in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, as confirmed by their head coach, Carlo Ancelotti.

Ancelotti, in an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Giornale on Monday, said Madrid—along with other unnamed clubs—were not planning to take part.

“Players and clubs won’t participate in that tournament,” Ancelotti said. “One single Real Madrid game is worth €20 million, and FIFA wants to give us that amount for the entire competition. Negative.

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“Just like us, other clubs will refuse the invitation.”

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The FIFA Club World Cup is an annual competition that pits the champions of the six continental confederations—UEFA (Europe), CONMEBOL (South America), AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North America, Central America, and the Caribbean), and OFC (Oceania)—against each other, along with the champion of the host nation.

The tournament is scheduled to be played in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025.

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Real Madrid, the reigning champions, secured their last title in 2023 by defeating Al Hilal with a score of 5-3. The competition traditionally features top clubs such as Real Madrid, who have won the tournament multiple times, demonstrating their dominance on the global stage.

When asked about Toni Kroos, Ancelotti told Il Giornale that he has yet to give up hope on convincing Kroos to change his mind about retirement, after the midfielder said he would stop playing professionally after this summer’s European Championship with Germany.

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“Unfortunately, Kroos has decided to stop. He is a German in his choices, but he will continue to live in Madrid,” Ancelotti said. “I told him that if, in the autumn, he had to change his mind, a phone call and we’ll start again.”

Samuel Bolaji

Samuel Bolaji, an alumnus/Scholar of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, holds a Master of Letters in Publishing Studies from the University of Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. He is an experienced researcher, multimedia journalist, writer, and Editor. Ex-Chief Correspondent, ex-Acting Op-Ed Editor, and ex-Acting Metro Editor at The PUNCH Newspaper, Samuel is currently the Editor at Arbiterz.