Qatar emerges as frontrunner for next Club World Cup

FIFA is pressing ahead with plans to grow the Club World Cup after the first 32-team edition ended with Chelsea beating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the United States.

According to AS, Qatar is now the leading candidate to host the second tournament, with its experience of major events, infrastructure and organisation putting it ahead of other options in FIFA discussions.

Any move to Qatar would likely force a change in timing. Summer temperatures would make a winter staging more realistic, as happened with the 2022 World Cup.

Talks between FIFA and clubs are also focused on the calendar. The aim is to keep the competition going without causing too much disruption to domestic and continental fixtures.

FIFA is also looking at a larger format from 2029, with plans under review to expand the field from 32 to 48 teams and revisit confederation quotas. That could even open the door to more than two clubs from a single country.

The first edition drew criticism for the absence of clubs such as Barcelona, Liverpool and Napoli, while a proposal to hold the tournament every two years has also resurfaced, though it remains distant from approval.