FIFA flag at North Harbour Stadium Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The first edition of FIFA's new 32-team Club World Cup will be held in the United States in 2025, world soccer's governing body said on Saturday.
FIFA had confirmed in March that the revamped Club World Cup will be played every four years from June 2025. The FIFA Council unanimously appointed the United States as the competition's hosts for the first edition of the expanded format.
The United States will also host the 2024 Copa America while they are also co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup along with Mexico and Canada.
"The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will be the pinnacle of elite professional men's club football," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.
"With the required infrastructure in place together with a massive local interest, the United States is the ideal host to kick off this new, global tournament."
Confederation champions from 2021-2024 will be eligible to play in the new Club World Cup, which means Chelsea, Real Madrid and last season's Champions League winners Manchester City have qualified from Europe.
The current version of the FIFA Club World Cup -- an annual competition with seven teams -- will be discontinued after 2023.
FIFA said they have also agreed to postpone the launch of the bidding process for the 2030 World Cup for "additional consultation with all key stakeholders.
"The relevant bidding regulations will be presented for approval at the next FIFA Council meeting, due to take place in September/October 2023, with the bidding process to be officially launched thereafter," it said.
"The expected appointment of the host(s) by the FIFA Congress will also move from Q3 2024 to Q4 2024."
The FIFA Congress is due to take place in Bangkok, Thailand on May 17, 2024.
FIFA also appointed Indonesia as hosts for the Under-17 World Cup later this year, three months after the Southeast Asian country was stripped of the Under-20 World Cup, which was then held in Argentina.
The decision to stop Indonesia holding the event was taken after the country's football federation cancelled the draw because the governor of the largely Hindu island of Bali refused to host Israel's team.
Indonesia were awarded the Nov. 10-Dec. 2 tournament after Peru were stripped of the rights having failed to fulfil infrastructure commitments.
The FIFA Council also appointed Colombia as hosts for the Under-20 women's World Cup in 2024 while the Dominican Republic will host the Under-17 women's World Cup the same year.
- Reuters