FIFA aimed to create a tournament that could credibly claim to crown the best club team in the world. But their method for determining which teams actually make the Club World Cup was ... well, flawed, to say the least.
The limit of two clubs per country and the emphasis on UEFA's ranking system has created a format in which reigning champions stay at home while the teams they beat in domestic competition are off to the States for the summer. Not that they necessarily mind, of course: In a day and age in which soccer's offseason keeps getting smaller and smaller, you could argue that every team would rather be resting up for a few weeks rather than crossing continents to compete for a trophy that still doesn't carry much of any prestige.
In fact, which teams did and didn't qualify for the Club World Cup could have a ripple effect into next season. Here are four particularly egregious snubs who stand to be as fresh as possible when their domestic seasons kick off.
4. Napoli
Speaking of FIFA prioritizing international competition over domestic success. Napoli has won the scudetto twice in the last three years, including this past season when the Azzurri edged Inter in a thrilling title race. And yet, it's Inter who will be participating in the Club World Cup as one of Italy's two representatives along with Juventus, rewarded for appearing in the Champions League final back in 2023.
Not that Napoli is likely complaining all that much. Again, there's just not a ton of buy-in for this tournament at the highest levels, at least not yet; Napoli just clinched Serie A not even three weeks ago, and they deserve to get a bit of rest before competition ramps back up.
3. Arsenal
Arsenal, along with another entry on this list, were left out by virtue of England simply having too many Premier League clubs who ranked highly: Chelsea (2021) and Manchester City (2023) have both earned major international trophies in recent years, and that made them very tough to beat for these purposes.
The Gunners likely had high hopes after blasting Real Madrid to reach the Champions League semis, but their loss to PSG left them on the outside looking in. Mikel Arteta would likely just as well stay home, though, as he prepares to try and get his side back to the top of the Premier League mountain for the first time since the 2003-04 Invincibles.
2. Barcelona
La Liga? Check. Copa del Rey? Yep. Spanish Super Cup? You bet. Lamine Yamal and Co. won just about everything a team can win domestically this season ... and yet they still found themselves on the outside looking in, left out in favor of rival Real Madrid (which automatically qualified thanks to its 2022 Champions League title) and Atletico (which had a stronger coefficient ranking thanks to UCL knockout appearances in four of the last five years).
But Barcelona is likely just fine kicking its feet up and watching its primary domestic competition battle through weeks of international competition right on the heels of a grueling La Liga campaign. Not a single fan would trade any of the trophies Barca won this season for a Club World Cup, and avoiding the risk of injury alone is worth the snub.
1. Liverpool
Yes, really: the domestic champions of England, Italy and Spain will all find themselves at home rather than participating in the Club World Cup, which sure would seem to raise some questions about how exactly FIFA organized this thing. Much like Arsenal, the Reds were blocked by Chelsea and Man City's respective Champions League titles; once Arne Slot's side fell in a shootout to PSG in the Round of 16 this year, their Club World Cup fate was all but sealed.
No matter. Liverpool already captured the trophy that really matters, securing the Premier League title in front of fans for the first time in 35 years. And because this is a club that knows all too well how a season can be derailed by injuries to key pieces, you can bet they're happy to keep Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Co. on ice while Pep Guardiola's bunch goes through a grueling summer.