Can Cristiano Ronaldo-Led Al Nassr Qualify for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup?

As a result of Club Leon's removal, there has been some speculation about whether FIFA might consider extending an invitation to Al Nassr.

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is set to be the biggest edition in the tournament’s history, featuring 32 of the world’s top clubs battling it out. With an expanded format and participation from every continent, the tournament is designed to showcase the very best in club football.

Club Leon have been removed from this summer’s Club World Cup by FIFA after failing to meet tournament regulations on multi-club ownership. As a result of this latest development, there has been some speculation about whether FIFA might consider extending an invitation to Al Nassr, given the global pull of Cristiano Ronaldo and the growing popularity of Saudi Arabian football.

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Cristiano Ronaldo-led Al Nassr’s chances of qualifying are extremely slim, and barring an unexpected wildcard invitation from FIFA, the Saudi giants will not feature in the 2025 tournament. Al Nassr’s hopes of qualifying for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup were effectively dashed on March 11, 2024, when they were eliminated from the AFC Champions League in heartbreaking fashion.

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After drawing on aggregate with Al Ain in the quarterfinals, they fell short in a dramatic penalty shootout, which closed their path to the continental final and with it, their chance of automatic qualification for the Club World Cup. Al Ain later went on to win the tournament, securing one of the AFC’s four allocated slots.

Back in February 2023, FIFA confirmed the qualification format for the 2025 edition, with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) receiving four spots. These have now been filled by:

Al Hilal
Urawa Red Diamonds
Al Ain
Ulsan Hyundai

According to FIFA, Club Leon’s replacement will be announced soon, although the Liga MX club has stated that they will appeal the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS). Costa Rica’s Alajuelense has expressed interest in taking that spot, as they won the 2024 Central American Cup.

Al Nassr

Club World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo

Abhinav Goel

soccer

I am a soccer writer at The PlayOffs, covering everything from match analysis to transfer buzz and tactical deep dives. Ever since I was a kid, soccer has been more than just a sport to me—it’s been an obsession. Playing and watching the game from a young age fueled my passion, eventually leading me into the world of sports media and betting. Now, I get to analyze the sport I love and bring the latest updates to fans worldwide.