FIFA has announced that it will settle any conflicts that arise among teams participating in the Club World Cup regarding the desire to include the same player on their roster for the tournament set to take place in the United States next year. This clarification comes in light of the tournament’s rules released on Tuesday.
The scheduling of the club event, which spans the end of June—the typical expiration date for player contracts—has led FIFA to actively seek resolutions to emerging transfer challenges. As Kylian Mbappé’s transfer to Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain took place in July as a free agent, the organization is particularly mindful of how these situations evolve.
Scheduled from June 15 to July 13, the 32-team event will feature potential free agents from competing clubs. Notable players in this category include Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City, Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, and Leroy Sané, as well as Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan and Madrid’s Ferland Mendy.
According to the tournament regulations, if two clubs wish to list the same player on their provisional rosters, FIFA’s general secretariat will make the final decision on which club may include the player, after consulting all relevant parties. Players must be officially listed on a provisional roster accepted by FIFA before they can be part of the final group at the tournament. Real Madrid and PSG are among the twelve teams representing Europe.
Players who are set to become free agents can begin discussions with other clubs in January and can come to agreements to sign for the following season. However, with the Club World Cup beginning on June 15, which still falls within the current season, FIFA is offering member associations the chance to initiate an exceptional transfer window from June 1 to June 10 to facilitate transfers.
This unique arrangement means a player could participate in the Champions League final on May 31 and represent another club just 15 days later during the Club World Cup. Furthermore, FIFA has implemented a provision allowing teams to modify their squad list during the tournament, specifically between June 27 and July 3, to replace players whose contracts have ended.
However, it is important to note that players can only represent one team throughout the Club World Cup, meaning they cannot sign for another team and play in the latter stages of the tournament. FIFA is navigating a complex pathway as it seeks to establish the Club World Cup as a prominent event, scheduled to take place every four years with substantial monetary rewards for elite teams.
As of now, the tournament lacks a broadcasting agreement and has only one confirmed sponsor, although FIFA has indicated that more sponsors—potentially from Saudi Arabia—will be announced shortly. The tournament is also facing formal complaints from players’ unions and domestic leagues, which have voiced concerns about its place in the busy global football calendar.
Earlier in June, Madrid’s coach Carlo Ancelotti hinted that the club could consider boycotting the tournament, though he later retracted that statement. Teams that register for the Club World Cup but later withdraw will incur significant fines, with penalties starting at 250,000 Swiss francs ($290,000) if the decision is made more than 30 days before the event. A withdrawal after mid-May will lead to a stiffer fine of at least 500,000 Swiss francs ($580,000).
FIFA has not yet revealed details about prize money for the tournament or the specifics of the draw, which is anticipated to be released in early December.