Eight More Clubs Lose FIFA World Champion Status After Tournament Overhaul
Following Chelsea’s recent Club World Cup triumph, FIFA has stripped eight additional teams of their previous “world champion” titles due to a revamp of the tournament format. The restructuring reclassifies the older version of the Club World Cup as having “intercontinental” rather than world-level status, leading to a major reshuffle of historical records.
Three Premier League clubs — Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool — were among the first affected by the change. However, they’re not alone, as eight more clubs from across the globe, including five from Europe, have now also seen their world champion status revoked.
Notable among them are Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid and Barcelona. Real Madrid, who claimed the Club World Cup five times under the old system, must now compete in the newly formatted tournament to earn that distinction again. Until then, they are considered holders of the Intercontinental Cup — a title with lower global standing.
Barcelona, three-time winners of the former competition, have also lost their world champion designation, as have Bayern Munich and Brazil’s Corinthians, each of whom won the title twice. Barcelona last secured the trophy in 2015 with a 3-0 win over River Plate, while Bayern beat Tigres UANL in 2020. Corinthians famously defeated Chelsea in 2012.
Brazilian sides São Paulo (2005) and Internacional (2006), along with Italian giants AC Milan and Inter Milan, have all been similarly affected. The decision represents a major change in how club football’s highest international honor is defined and awarded.
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