LAFC and Club América Could Play for Club World Cup Spot | OneFootball

With Club Léon expelled from the FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA has taken on the challenge of finding a new club to fill out the 32-team tournament, which is set to hit the United States this summer.

On Sunday, ESPN reported that it will likely be one of MLS’s LAFC or Liga MX’s Club América and that FIFA has drawn up plans for a playoff match to decide which would join the competition.

Later Sunday, FIFA confirmed to Sports Illusrtated that it is looking into the potential of a playoff match, saying: "FIFA can confirm it is considering one play-off match between LAFC and Club America for the right to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, replacing Club Léon following the decision of the FIFA Appeal Committee.""LAFC would participate as runner-up to Club Léon in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League through which Club Léon had qualified. Club América would participate as the top-ranked team in the FIFA Club World Cup confederation ranking through which qualification is also determined."”The winner of the play-off would qualify unless legal proceedings rule otherwise."

Léon were kicked out of the competition due to double club ownership rules, with the club being owned by Grupo Pachuca, a group which also owns Pachuca, another team competing in the Club World Cup.

While Léon is currently appealing FIFA’s decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, finding a quick solution ahead of the summer’s tournament is critical and a move FIFA is progressing with.

However, a new team wouldn’t be decided until April 23 at the earliest, with the CAS hearing set for that date.

But which team has a better case for joining the revamped Club World Cup?

Why LAFC Should Join the Club World Cup

LAFC could be a simple choice to bring another American team into the Club World Cup / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The 2025 MLS season hasn’t started as LAFC hoped, but they hold a strong case for getting a spot in the Club World Cup, having lost the 2023 Concacaf Champions League final to Club Léon in 2023.

While the team has changed significantly since then, it would be logical to simply award them a spot, given they were within a game of claiming it anyway. At the same time, LAFC joining would allow global superstars Hugo Lloris and Olivier Giroud to compete—a factor not lost on FIFA, given they awarded Inter Miami the host berth, likely boosted by wanting to get Lionel Messi in the competition.

It wouldn’t be a stretch, with LAFC ranking third in the most recent Concacaf Club Ranking, the highest of any American club.

With a 3-3-0 start to the 2025 MLS season and an already packed schedule with Concacaf Champions Cup play, LAFC would likely prefer to be awarded the spot without a match, given how much of an underdog they would be in a playoff against Club América.

Why Club América Should Join the Club World Cup

Luis Ángel Malagón has been in stellar form in Liga MX with Club América / Courtesy of Club América

Based on qualifying precedents set in UEFA, Club América deserve to be in the tournament this summer as the highest-ranked side in the Concacaf Club Ranking.

In Europe, the UEFA ranking pathway was used to get Red Bull Salzburg into the tournament, so it is a qualifying pathway already being used for the summer, given that Real Madrid won more than one UEFA Champions League title in the qualifying window.

While their global attraction without European superstars may be less than that of LAFC, they are the biggest club in Mexico’s Liga MX and have won seven Concacaf Champions League/Cup titles. They last won the tournament in 2015-16 and finished as runners-up in 2021.

Led by Mexican national team goalkeeper Luis Angel Malagon, América have enjoyed an exceptional Clausura season, sitting atop the league with 30 points through 13 games.

With their form, they would be heavily favoured in a playoff against LAFC and would also allow FIFA to improve their Mexican following after eliminating a team from the country in Léon.

Other Clubs That Could Join

LA Galaxy are the most recent MLS Cup Champions. Could they be included in the summer's tournament? / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

L.D. Alajuelense – The Costa Rican giants raised the double ownership concerns to Concacaf and FIFA and have pushed themselves to be included as Concacaf’s replacement team.

LA Galaxy – Inter Miami CF officially qualified as the MLS Supporters’ Shield Champions. LA Galaxy won the 2024 MLS Cup and would have a strong case to be included.

The Winner of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup – Eight teams remain in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, including seven sides: Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Pumas, LAFC, América, Cruz Azul, Tigres and LA Galaxy.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC – FIFA is using the 2024 Club World Cup as a testing ground for FIFA World Cup 2026. Canada co-hosts the international tournament in 2026 but has no club representative. Whitecaps FC has won the last three Canadian Championships.