The 2025 World Cup's Surprising Twist: Grupo Pachuca's Dilemma
High-stakes Championship showdown set in the USA: priciest clash of the Champions League scheduled
The 2025 World Cup qualifiers are here, and the last spot went to "Botafogo". In North America, all slots were given out last summer. Unlike Europe and South America, teams in Africa, Asia, and North America usually qualify through continental championships. But things took an unexpected turn when the host confederation grabbed five spots. These went to the winners of the Champions League from 2021-2024, as well as a wildcard. This wildcard was controversially given to "Inter" featuring Lionel Messi.
But the spotlight soon shifted towards two Mexican clubs, "Pachuca" and "Léon", owned by the same company, Grupo Pachuca. The regulations for the 2025 World Cup stated that two or more clubs owned by the same owner or legal entity couldn't participate in the tournament. While this wasn't an issue in their local leagues, it became a problem at the FIFA tournament, scheduled for 2027.
FIFA discovered that José de Jesús Martínez Patino, the Mexican businessman who owns Grupo Pachuca, had 55% of "Léon" and 50% of "Pachuca". To qualify for the tournament and avoid a ban from the Mexican Football Federation, Patino promised to sell "Léon". However, no sale happened in the months following the draw, leading FIFA to disqualify the Mexicans.
FIFA provisionally admitted "Pachuca" to the 2025 Club World Cup, but the lack of a sale raised questions. In the end, "Pachuca" filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). They argued that there was no ban on multiple clubs with a common owner participating in the tournament at the time of their official entry. However, the Sports Court sided with FIFA, the tournament organizer.
This left one vacant spot for the 2025 Club World Cup. Initially, rumors suggested that a top European club like "Liverpool" or "Barcelona", or even Saudi Arabia's "Al-Nassr" with Cristiano Ronaldo, could be invited. But in a surprise move, FIFA insisted that only another North American team could replace the disqualified side.
Despite this, FIFA reportedly wants Ronaldo at the 2025 Club World Cup. The President, Gianni Infantino, has reportedly been in talks with certain teams about his participation. Ronaldo has offers from Brazilian clubs and Morocco's "Wydad", but some dream of him being loaned to "Inter" to create a dream partnership with Messi.
This ban cost "Pachuca" and Patino $9.55 million - the amount North American, Asian, and African teams receive for participating. In total, around $1 billion will be distributed among the teams, with FIFA receiving this amount from broadcasters (DAZN) and sponsors. In comparison, six South American clubs will receive $15.21 million each, while twelve European teams will receive between $12.81 million and $38.19 million.
Interestingly, the match for the vacant spot will be against "Los Angeles". This is significant as the match will be broadcast by DAZN, the sole broadcaster of the 2025 WC worldwide, but in countries without the British OTT service, FIFA and the company have implemented sublicenses. In Russia, the championship will be aired by Okko, so it's possible they will also show the Los Angeles match.
The winner of this match could earn much more than participating in national tournaments. Reaching the Round of 16 will be worth $7.5 million - an amount no team outside Europe has ever seen. With Hugo Lloris, Olivier Giroud, and "America", "Los Angeles" has a good chance to reach the playoffs and earn much more.
FIFA’s stance on multi-club ownership ensures that only one team per ownership group can compete in the Club World Cup, preventing potential conflicts of interest. In the 2025 tournament, this resulted in "León’s" exclusion, with "Pachuca" remaining as the sole entrant from Grupo Pachuca. For the broader FIFA World Cup (not to be confused with the Club World Cup), these rules do not apply, as national teams—not clubs—are involved.
- Sports transitioned from a debate about multiple teams owned by the same entity to a financial matter for Mexican club Pachuca, as they faced disqualification from the 2025 Club World Cup due to FIFA's regulations against ownership.
- The European Champions League and other continental leagues were not linked directly to the 2025 World Cup, unlike some regional championships, but football fans were excited about the possibility of stars like Cristiano Ronaldo participating in the tournament despite conflicting reports.
- The champions of European-leagues stand to earn substantial financial rewards, with Brazilian and Moroccan clubs offering lucrative deals for the Portuguese superstar, while a potential partnership with Lionel Messi at Inter Milan is generating dreams for football enthusiasts.
