Why Chelsea Haven’t Qualified for Next Club World Cup Despite Winning Final but PSG Have

• Chelsea defeated PSG 3-0 to win the FIFA Club World Cup but still haven’t qualified for the 2029 edition.
• The Club World Cup winner does not get automatic qualification to the next tournament as the defending champions
• Chelsea must either win the Champions League or rely on UEFA coefficient rankings to qualify for the next edition

Chelsea delivered a dominant performance to beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 and lift the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday, July 13, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

A brace from Cole Palmer and one goal from Joao Pedro secured a memorable victory for the Blues as Enzo Maresca’s side claimed their second major trophy of the season.

Palmer stole the spotlight with two well-taken goals before setting up Pedro for the third just before halftime, per Football London.

While the win confirmed Chelsea’s status as world champions, it did not secure their place in the next Club World Cup, scheduled for 2029.

The new format of the competition, much like the FIFA World Cup, does not offer the defending champions an automatic slot in the next competition.

That means Chelsea must go through the qualification process all over again if they hope to return.

How Club World Cup qualification actually works

Unlike traditional tournaments, the FIFA Club World Cup does not grant the title winners an automatic return.

Instead, qualification is based primarily on performance in the UEFA Champions League between specific periods, per FIFA.com.

In Chelsea's case, to book their place in the 2029 Club World Cup, they will need to win the UEFA Champions League between 2026 and 2028.

This is precisely how PSG qualified. Although they were beaten by Chelsea in the final, their 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in the Champions League final earlier in the season had already sealed their spot.

This highlights the fact that domestic or continental success, particularly the UEFA Champions League, is the main route to qualification.

Chelsea’s participation in the 2025 edition stemmed from their 2021 Champions League win under Thomas Tuchel, which met FIFA's criteria for inclusion in the revamped tournament.

The backup route to qualification

If Chelsea fail to win the Champions League before 2028, their only hope will lie in the UEFA coefficient rankings.

This is a system that ranks clubs based on performance over a five-year period in European competitions.

However, this pathway has its complications as FIFA only allows a maximum of two clubs per country, unless more than two teams win the Champions League during the qualifying window, GOAL.com reports.

This could make things even more competitive for English clubs, given the strength of the Premier League.

If two other English sides qualify via Champions League victories, Chelsea’s only route back may be blocked, even with a strong coefficient.

How much Chelsea earned after win

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Chelsea won the inaugural edition of the expanded FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and will earn a substantial cash prize for their victory.

The prize pool for the expanded tournament was $1 billion after securing exclusive TV rights from DAZN, worth the same amount.

Source: Legit.ng