James Rodríguez’s dream of playing in the 2025 Club World Cup has come to an end before it even began. FIFA announced this Friday that León has been excluded from the tournament due to its shared ownership with Pachuca, another team already qualified for the competition.

A decision that impacts León and James

Football’s governing body explained that, after a disciplinary review, it was determined that no club can participate in the Club World Cup if another team under the same ownership is also competing. Since both teams belong to Grupo Pachuca, León was disqualified from the tournament.

"Under Article 10, Section 4 of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 regulations, FIFA has decided not to admit Club León to the competition and will announce its replacement in due course," the official statement read.

This ruling dashes James Rodríguez’s hopes of playing in the tournament, as he had previously stated that one of the key reasons for joining the Mexican club was the chance to compete on the international stage. "The Club World Cup was also a factor. It’s a major competition that I want to play in, and I do well in short tournaments," he said upon joining León.

A failed project

The León board, led by coach Eduardo Berizzo, had made significant efforts to strengthen the squad with the Club World Cup in mind. In addition to signing James Rodríguez, they brought in players like Chilean Rodrigo Echeverría and Uruguayan Nicolás Fonseca, and even convinced Andrés Guardado to come out of retirement.

León was set to compete in Group D alongside Flamengo, Chelsea, and Espérance Sportive de Tunis. However, FIFA will soon announce which team will take its place in the tournament, scheduled to take place in the United States from June 14 to July 13, 2025.

This decision is a significant blow for both the club and James Rodríguez, who will now have to focus solely on Liga MX, leaving behind the chance to shine in a competition featuring the world’s top clubs.