FIFA's new Club World Cup takes place in the United States in June and July this year.
The expanded tournament pits 32 club sides from across the world against one another in the style of a traditional national-team World Cup. It will then repeat on a four-year cycle, just like FIFA's flagship competition.
Football's governing body imposed strict criteria to determine which teams would enter the inaugural edition in 2025, and this has already led to controversy, with Mexican side Club Leon officially ejected from the competition due to the club's ownership model being in breach of FIFA regulations.
Leon appealed against the decision even as other interested parties vie to take their place at the tournament. They were unsuccessful, meaning another team will be playing at the new tournament.
The Sporting News explains why Leon were kicked out, and what is likely to happen next.
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Why were Club Leon kicked out of the Club World Cup?
Club Leon were removed from the tournament by FIFA after failing to comply with the governing body's rules on multi-club ownership.
Club World Cup regulations state that "no person or legal entity may control or exert influence over more than one club participating in the competition." Leon and Pachuca have the same owners, Grupo Pachuca, meaning FIFA rules would not permit both teams to take part.
"In line with article 10 paragraph 4 of the Regulations for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, FIFA has determined that Club Leon will be removed from the competition, with the club to be admitted as a replacement to be announced in due course," FIFA said in a statement in March 2025.
Leon insisted they would appeal against the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). Groupo Pachuca said: "We are dissatisfied with this decision and will appeal it to the fullest extent possible since all the evidence that proves our administrative independence was presented in a timely and transparent manner. We will defend what was won on the field."
However, in a ruling on May 6, CAS said: "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 [tournament] regulations." Costa Rican club Alajuense, who had asked to be admitted to the tournament and for both Club Leon and Pachuca to be removed, also had their request turned down.
Club Leon qualified by virtue of winning the 2022 CONCACAF Champions Cup, while Pachuca earned their place by being crowned continental champions a year later.
Liga MX clubs passed a vote last November, before FIFA announced its Club World Cup regulations, to remove multi-club ownership from the league. However, owners have until 2027 to complete the necessaries of that process.
Who will replace Club Leon at the Club World Cup?
FIFA staged a one-off play-in game to decide Club Leon's replacement. Los Angeles FC and Club America met in a match on May 31, with the MLS side claiming a surprise 2-1 victory thanks to Denis Bouanga's extra-time goal.
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FIFA chose LAFC as they were runners-up to Leon in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League final, while Club America were the top-ranked team in the confederation (as of the end of last season's Champions Cup) who were not already qualified to the Club World Cup.
Why did Pachuca not get removed from Club World Cup?
FIFA did not state why Club Leon were ejected from the competition instead of Pachuca, but according to the governing body's own tournament regulations, it was not necessary to remove both from the competition.
FIFA's general secretary had the final decision on which club to eject. Leon were chosen, so Pachuca are still scheduled to compete. They were drawn in Group H, alongside Real Madrid, Al Hilal, and Salzburg.
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