Carlo Ancelotti Denies Real Madrid Boycotting FIFA Club World Cup

Due to winning the Champions League, Madrid has secured a spot in a tournament that has faced criticism for changing its format.

The 2025 edition will take place in the summer instead of mid-season and will involve a transition to a 32-team competition.

Asked about taking Madrid to the Club World Cup in an interview with Il Giornale, Ancelotti is quoted as saying: “FIFA can forget about that. Footballers and clubs will not participate in that tournament. A single Madrid match is worth €20m and FIFA wants to give us that figure for the entire tournament: negative. Like us, several clubs will reject the invitation.”

However, in a post on social media, Ancelotti walked back on his previous statement.

“In my interview with Il Giornale, my words about the FIFA Club World Cup were not interpreted in the way I intended,” he wrote. “Nothing could be further from my interest than to reject the possibility of playing in a tournament that I consider could be a great opportunity to continue fighting for big titles with Real Madrid.”

Real Madrid themselves posted a statement insisting they are looking forward to participating in the tournament.

“Real Madrid CF would like to announce that at no time there has been any question regarding our participation in the new Club World Cup to be organized by FIFA in the coming 2024/2025 season,” they said.

“Our club will therefore take part, as planned, in this official competition and we are proud and excited to be involved in it and we will once again inspire our millions of fans all over the world with another trophy.”

Under the old format, the Champions League victors would enter the Club World Cup at the semifinal stage, playing only two matches.

However, Madrid is now looking at the possibility of playing seven matches after what is expected to be another busy season.

In the past, La Liga has warned FIFA of potential legal action regarding the new format, with many criticizing the governing body for placing more importance on financial considerations than player welfare.