Club Leon’s surprising exclusion from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has sparked controversy—not just due to the timing, but also over who will take the Mexican club’s place. With Club America, Los Angeles FC, and even FC Barcelona reportedly in the mix, FIFA president Gianni Infantino has finally revealed the governing body’s current plan.
According to FIFA, Club Leon violated the organization’s multi-ownership regulations after failing to provide sufficient evidence that it operated independently from Grupo Pachuca, which also owns CF Pachuca. As a result of the March ruling, several potential replacements have emerged.
The first was Costa Rican side Deportivo Alajuelense, which initially brought the complaint against León. However, that option was quickly dismissed. Club America and LAFC then emerged as the frontrunners.
Even FC Barcelona was rumored to be under consideration, with Mexican journalist David Faitelson reporting that FIFA was actively discussing the inclusion of the Spanish giants. “Barcelona are being considered as a candidate to replace Mexico’s Club Leon. Their inclusion would certainly provide both sporting and financial appeal,” Faitelson said.
Infantino confirms FIFA’s approach
Following weeks of speculation, FIFA had remained largely silent on the issue—until Tuesday, when ESPN’s Carlos Nava asked Gianni Infantino for clarification. The FIFA president offered a direct response.
“Regarding the Leon case, the matter will be decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on May 5th or 6th, so in a couple of weeks we’ll have the final decision from CAS, which we will, of course, respect. What is being examined is whether CAS confirms the decision made by FIFA’s appeals committee,” he stated at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium regarding the confirmation of the suspension.
As for the replacement process, he confirmed what had been previously speculated: “The decision (for the vacant spot) may possibly be to play a match, a playoff between the team that lost the Champions Cup final to Leon, which is LAFC, and the next team in the ranking, which is America. Then we’ll see.”
Infantino’s comments back earlier reports of a potential one-game playoff between Club América and LAFC to determine the replacement. However, FIFA will have to wait for CAS to issue a final ruling on whether León will be officially barred from the Club World Cup—an outcome that could present a significant challenge for the organization if overturned.
