Why Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool aren’t in Club World Cup has become a hot question as FIFA’s revamped tournament kicks off in the United States this summer.
Despite being three of England’s biggest footballing institutions, none will feature in the 2025 Club World Cup — a 32-team spectacle showcasing elite clubs from across the globe. With Manchester City and Chelsea flying the Premier League flag, fans are asking: why not United, Arsenal, or Liverpool?
Why Premier League Giants Missed Out
Only two clubs per country can qualify for the Club World Cup — and City and Chelsea claimed England’s spots.
The reason Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool aren’t at the 2025 Club World Cup is simple: FIFA’s two-team rule and Champions League results over the last four seasons.
England’s two places were filled by Manchester City (UCL winners 2023) and Chelsea (UCL winners 2021). That left no room for Liverpool, despite their UCL final appearance in 2022, or for United and Arsenal, who failed to progress deep enough in recent campaigns.
Who Qualified From Europe?
| Club | Country | How They Qualified |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | England | UCL winners 2023 |
| Chelsea | England | UCL winners 2021 |
| Real Madrid | Spain | UCL points (2020–2024) |
| Bayern Munich | Germany | UCL points |
| PSG | France | UCL points |
| Juventus | Italy | UCL points |
| Atletico Madrid | Spain | UCL points |
| Benfica | Portugal | UCL points |
| Porto | Portugal | UCL points |
| Inter Milan | Italy | UCL points |
| Borussia Dortmund | Germany | UCL points |
| RB Salzburg | Austria | UCL points |
Arsenal & Man United’s Missed Opportunity
For Arsenal, their absence is due to a long hiatus from the Champions League — only returning in 2023/24. Manchester United, meanwhile, needed to win the Champions League in the last four years to qualify but fell short, most notably crashing out in the group stage in 2023/24.
“We knew we had to win the Champions League to qualify. We didn’t, so we miss out,” said a source close to United’s backroom staff.
Liverpool’s Case: So Close, Yet So Far
Liverpool's UCL final in 2022 against Real Madrid wasn’t enough. FIFA’s rules give automatic Club World Cup entry to UCL winners, not runners-up — and Chelsea & City beat them to it.
Messi In, Arsenal Out?
In one of the more controversial FIFA choices, Inter Miami qualified as host nation representatives — despite not winning the MLS Cup. Their 2024 Supporters’ Shield win was enough, ensuring Lionel Messi will feature in the Club World Cup, while Bukayo Saka, Mohamed Salah, and Bruno Fernandes stay home.
- FIFA Club World Cup allows only 2 teams per country
- Chelsea and City qualified as recent UCL winners
- Liverpool’s 2022 final wasn’t enough
- United and Arsenal didn’t win UCL in qualifying period
- Inter Miami qualify controversially via Supporters' Shield
What’s Next for These Premier League Giants?
Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool will now turn their attention to domestic dominance and European qualification for the next cycle. The Club World Cup won’t return until 2029, but clubs can begin qualifying again from next season’s Champions League.
Should FIFA allow more than 2 clubs per country at the Club World Cup?
1 Comment (last comment by Adem)
First read message
By Adem 14 Jun 2025 15:34
Winning it would give you a lot of money, so it's huge that they're not there. I mean Liverpool should have been there tbh - Arsenal and United havent done anything special over the last years in Europe.
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