Club León's last ditch effort to keep their place in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup failed, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled against the Liga MX club in their appeal of FIFA's decision to disqualify them from the competition.
Back in March, FIFA announced it's decision to remove León from the inaugural, new-look Club World Cup because the team is owned by Grupo Pachuca, the same group that owns fellow Liga MX side and Club World Cup participant, Pachuca. Multi-ownership is prohibited under Club World Cup regulations.
Lawyers from both Pachuca and León made their case to CAS in a hearing that lasted almost 12 hours on Monday, May 5, but were unsuccessful. Today, CAS released a statement ratifying FIFA's ruling— a decision that is unappealable.
"The CAS Panel ruled that Pachuca and Club León failed to meet the criteria in the Regulations for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 concerning multiple club ownership," the statement said. "Consequently, Club León remains excluded from the competition and Pachuca remains qualified. As a result of the CAS ruling, FIFA is responsible for designating the final qualified team to participate in the Club World Cup 2025."
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Club León released a statement of their own saying, "The sentence was harsh, the rivals very influential, the pressure intense, and the stakes very high. As a club we assume the consequences, but those who have suffered most along the way have been our people: fans and footballers deserve more respect from an organization dedicated to promoting sports. But from the beginning, no sporting principle existed in this case."
León originally secured a place in the Club World cup by winning the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup. The club signed former Real Madrid player and international star James Rodríguez this past winter as their marquee addition for the competition.
As for who will replace León, FIFA President Gianni Infantino already confirmed the intention to have MLS side LAFC and Liga MX team Club América play a playoff match with the final ticket to the Club World Cup on the line. At the time, Infantino's comments didn't sit well with Club León, but now, there's nothing to stop FIFA from moving forward with those plans.
The scheduled date of the playoff match is yet to be determined, but whoever wins will replace Club León in Group D of the tournament, where they'll face Espérance Sportive de Tunisie (TUN), Flamengo (BRA) and Premier League giants Chelsea.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Club Leon Officially Out of Club World Cup After CAS Ruling.
