Not everyone agrees with Gianni Infantino that the new-look Club World Cup was a “huge, huge, huge success”, but that is not going to stop the Fifa president from going full steam ahead with the next one.
Chelsea were the inaugural champions of the competition, beating the Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in New Jersey on Saturday night. Donald Trump was in attendance to witness the moment, and indeed lingered on the presentation stage to immerse himself in the Blues’ celebrations.
The competition was dogged by accusations that Fifa was flogging the players by cramming an additional month-long tournament at the end of an already-long season, played in searing heat across the United States’ summer months. It has raised concerns ahead of next year’s World Cup, which the US will share with Mexico and Canada.
When is the next Club World Cup?
Fifa decided that the new format should mimic the international World Cup, staged every four years with teams from all over the globe. The next tournament will therefore take place in the summer of 2029, scheduled for sometime in June and July.
Where will it be played?
So far there is no set host for the tournament, but there are several countries who have registered their interest in bidding to stage the event.
Australia, which missed out on hosting the 2034 international World Cup to Saudi Arabia, is keen to make a proposal, which could come in the form of a joint bid with New Zealand.
Brazil has also expressed an intention to bid for the 2029 Club World Cup, and it is thought to be among the favourites, given the country’s rich football history.
Another potential option is for Spain, Portugal and Morocco to jointly host the tournament in preparation for the 2030 World Cup which will be staged across the three countries, giving them the chance to get ready for the international version in the same way the US has done this time around.
