CAS Rejects Leóns Appeal: FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Exclusion Due to Multiple Ownership
In a recent decision, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has denied the appeal of Mexican club León to participate in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Despite meeting the requirements to qualify for the 32-team tournament, FIFA had expelled León from the lineup in March due to a rule that prohibits clubs with the same owners from competing in the Club World Cup. The ruling by FIFA was based on the fact that both León and another Liga MX club, Pachuca, are owned by Grupo Pachuca. The CAS Panel issued an Operative Decision dismissing the three appeals and ruled that Pachuca and Club León failed to meet the criteria in the Regulations for the FIFA World Cup Club 2025 (Art. 10.1) concerning multiple club ownership. The Panel examined the evidence, including the Club León trust set up by the owners of the club, and concluded that this trust was insufficient to comply with the Regulations. Consequently, Club León remains excluded from the competition, while Pachuca remains qualified. A full CAS Award with reasons for the Decision will be issued in due course. Additionally, a separate appeal by LDA against Club León, Pachuca, and FIFA was also rejected by the CAS. The appeal requested that Club León and Pachuca's participation in the Club World Cup was contrary to FIFA regulations and that one of the clubs, or both, should be removed. The appeal also requested that LDA should be admitted to the competition in place of a removed team. This case was heard by CAS in person in Madrid on 23 April 2025 and was also rejected today, with reasons to follow later in the full award. León and Pachuca both qualified by winning the 2023 and 2024 Concacaf championships, respectively. Despite being placed in different four-team groups during December's draw in Miami, both clubs faced a glaring ownership issue. León was drawn to play Premier League giants Chelsea in Atlanta, Esperance from Tunisia in Nashville, and Brazilian club Flamengo in Orlando. During a March ruling, FIFA judges stated that the clubs' ownership structure "clearly indicates centralized decision-making under a single authority, which is inconsistent with FIFA's principles of competitive integrity and operational independence." As a result, FIFA is expected to replace León with a playoff game between MLS side LAFC and Liga MX's América. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will conclude at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 13 and precedes the FIFA World Cup, which will also host its final in the same stadium in 2026. The tournament will feature teams that won a continental title from 2020-2024 and have consistently won in that period. FIFA also granted Lionel Messi and Inter Miami entry to represent the host country.
