Chelsea get Club World Cup update after Club Leon ban upheld
Chelsea are set to face either Los Angeles FC or Mexican side Club America at the Club World Cup this summer after Club Leon and Deportiva Alajuelense lost legal appeals for inclusion.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that Fifa was right to exclude Club Leon on the basis that they share an ownership group with another Mexican team in the competition, Pachuca.
At the same time it also threw out a challenge from Costa Rican outfit Alajuelense, who argued that they should take Club Leon’s place based on their continental ranking.
It means that Fifa is now set to fill the space in Group D alongside Chelsea, Flamengo and Esperance de Tunis by staging a one-off play-off match between LAFC and Club America.
“As a result of the CAS ruling, Fifa is responsible for designating the final qualified team to participate in the Club World Cup 2025,” the court said.
It added: “The CAS Panel has issued an Operative Decision dismissing the three appeals and ruled that Pachuca and Club Leon failed to meet the criteria in the Regulations for the Fifa World Cup Club 2025 concerning multiple club ownership.
“The Panel examined the evidence, including the Club Leon trust set up by the owners of the club, and concluded that this trust was insufficient to comply with the Regulations. Consequently, Club Leon remains excluded from the competition and Pachuca remains qualified.
“A separate appeal by [Alajuelense] against Club Leon, Pachuca and Fifa, filed on 3 February 2025, requested that Club Leon and Pachuca’s participation in the Club World Cup was contrary to Fifa regulations and that one of the clubs, or both, should be removed.
“The appeal also requested that [Alajuelense] should be admitted to the competition in place of a removed team. This case was heard by CAS in person in Madrid on 23 April 2025 and was also rejected today.”
If Chelsea meet LAFC at the tournament they face a reunion with their former striker Olivier Giroud as well as ex-Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
The Blues are one of two English sides in the 32-team tournament, along with Manchester City, which is taking place in the US from 14 June to 13 July.