LAFC and Club América to compete in playoff for final Club World Cup spot

There will be a playoff.

Today, FIFA announced that a match between Los Angeles FC and Club América will take place to determine who will replace Club León at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

The decision came after the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected the appeals of Pachuca, León, and LD Alajuelense, who argued initially that León should be eliminated due to FIFA’s rule on not having multiple teams in a tournament under the same ownership. León is owned by Pachuca’s ownership group. Alajuelense argued that they should be the direct replacements into the Club World Cup.

Instead, FIFA has decided that LAFC, who were the runners-up to León in the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup, will face Club América, who was the top ranked team in the FIFA Club World Cup confederation ranking at the end of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, which was the final season for accounting in qualification for the tournament.

According to a report by The Athletic, the match would take place at BMO Stadium in LA on May 31st, with the winner being slotted into León’s position in Group D at the Club World Cup.

FIFA has yet to publicly confirm the playoff date. Group D also includes Flamengo, Chelsea FC, and Espérance de Tunis, with the playoff winner facing Chelsea in their opening match on June 16th in Atlanta.

For fans of the United States Men’s National Team, the playoff guarantees that another member of the team’s player pool will not be available for the Gold Cup, which runs concurrently with the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. LAFC features midfielder Timothy Tillman, who has not featured on the national team since he made his debut in January 2024.

However, with Weston McKennie and Tim Weah (Juventus) along with Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund) already competing in the Club World Cup, the USMNT midfield player pool could make Tillman a candidate for a Gold Cup roster should LAFC miss out. LAFC winning the playoff and getting into the Club World Cup would also mean three MLS sides would compete in the competition. A LAFC win would see them join the Seattle Sounders (2022 Concacaf Champions League champions) and Inter Miami (2024 MLS Supporters’ Shield winners) in the tournament.

Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

On the other side, Club América features midfielder Alex Zendejas, who would also normally be in the mix for inclusion on a Gold Cup roster. Zendejas has 11 caps for the USMNT, including four in 2024. América also has several players who comprise the core of the Mexico National Team, and should they win, that would be a huge blow to the Mexican player pool. On the flip side, the inclusion of Club América, far and away the most popular team in North America, could be a big boost to the Club World Cup in selling last minute tickets for the group stage matches.

Photo by Alfredo Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images

The playoff would be an enormous match for Major League Soccer, as many are already billing it the richest match in American soccer history. The team who wins the playoff to be the final entrant in the Club World Cup would earn a minimum of $10 million for competing, with the ability to earn even more based on performance. It also once again pits Major League Soccer against Liga MX in a growing rivalry between the two leagues, which are viewed as further representation of the rivalry between American soccer and Mexican soccer. The winner would still be at a disadvantage with only 16 days to prepare for their opening match. It would also require Major League Soccer or Liga MX to adjust schedules to allow their respective teams to compete in the tournament.

More details are forthcoming about the playoff, but LAFC and Club América are set to compete to be team No. 32 in the Club World Cup.