Only a few months remain before the Club World Cup kicks off in the United States... and FIFA has already made the decision to expel Club León of James Rodríguez from the tournament for violating the current regulations on the multi-ownership model, as it is owned by the same group as Pachuca, which qualified for the tournament as the most recent ConcaChampions champion.

Why did FIFA expel Club León from the Club World Cup?

Here is the full statement sent by FIFA: “After evaluating all the evidence in the case, the president of the FIFA Appeals Commission has decided that both CF Pachuca and Club León fail to meet the criteria regarding the ownership of multiple clubs, as established in Article 10, paragraph 1 of the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup Regulations.”

However, FIFA’s final decision is that only Club León will be excluded from the tournament. Therefore, unless there is a rectification regarding this, Pachuca will still participate in the event in the United States: “In accordance with Article 10, paragraph 4 of the FIFA 2025™ Club World Cup Regulations, FIFA has decided not to admit Club León to the competition and will announce the club that will replace them in due course.”

Club León’s response to their expulsion from the Club World Cup

Club León’s response has been quick… although FIFA’s decision seems final: “Club León expresses its dissatisfaction with the decision made by FIFA, which could exclude us from the next Club World Cup. The decision regarding which team will not attend the tournament is the responsibility of the Secretary General of the organization, who will notify us in the coming days.”

It continues: “In recent months, we have presented all the evidence and documents that confirm that Club León operates autonomously in all financial, administrative, and sporting matters. In case Club León is prevented from participating in the 2025 Club World Cup with the same rights they earned on the field, we will pursue all legal actions in the highest sports tribunals.”