Club Leon’s Exclusion from the 2025 Club World Cup and Proceedings Before FIFA and CAS

By Fernando Poo

A few days ago, FIFA officially announced the exclusion of Club León from the 2025 Club World Cup due to non-compliance with Article 10 of the tournament’s Regulations, which prohibits multi-ownership of participating teams. Although both León and Pachuca belong to the same corporate group, only “La Fiera” was disqualified from the competition, while Club Pachuca retained its place in the tournament.

According to the statement issued by FIFA, disciplinary proceedings were carried out against both institutions, with the case being referred directly to the FIFA Appeal Committee, pursuant to Article 56.3 of the Disciplinary Code. After evaluating the evidence, the Committee concluded that both clubs failed to comply with the established criteria regarding multi-club ownership. Consequently, and in accordance with Article 10.4 of the tournament regulations, FIFA decided not to admit Club Leon as a participant and announced that it will notify the team that will take its place in due course.

Article 10 is clear: no participating club may have any direct or indirect relationship with the administration, actions, influence, or management of another club registered in the competition. This provision seeks to preserve sporting integrity and avoid conflicts of interest, especially in high-level tournaments such as the 2025 Club World Cup, whose inaugural edition will be held in the United States.

Although FIFA’s decision could be final at the domestic level, Club Leon has filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as a final avenue to challenge the exclusion. CAS opened the case and reviewed the arguments of both parties in a hearing that lasted more than five hours. The CAS’s ruling is expected in early May.

At ECIJA Mexico, we will continue to monitor this case, which sets an important precedent for international football and the regulation of timeshares in tournaments organized by FIFA. This could also have an impact on Liga MX.

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