FIFA leaves Barcelona out of the Club World Cup

A meeting between Lionel Messi and Barcelona at the Club World Cup, set to kick off in June, seems unlikely. According to MARCA, FIFA has not extended an invitation to the Catalan club, despite the exclusion of Mexico's Leon, which opened up a spot in the tournament.

Leon was disqualified due to violations related to multiple ownership: the club shares owners with Pachuca, which also qualified for the final stage. The Mexicans' appeal has been accepted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with a hearing scheduled for May 6.

While Leon fights for its return, FIFA has already confirmed that its vacancy will be contested between Club America and Los Angeles FC in a one-match playoff. The exact date of the game is still unknown.

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As for Barcelona, the club did not receive an invitation as it did not meet the selection criteria, which were based on European competition performances since 2021. The Catalans failed to advance from the group stage in the Champions League for two consecutive years and did not achieve success in the Europa League, negatively impacting their ranking. Thus, Barcelona is out of the list of participants, despite its former status as one of the giants of European football.

Messi, now playing for Inter Miami, will take part in the tournament, but the much-anticipated reunion with his former club, awaited by many fans, is now postponed until at least the next opportunity.