FC Barcelona has a cheering interest in the match between Atlético de Madrid and Inter tonight. Specifically, they want Inter to win, or more precisely, they want Atlético to lose.
The reason is because only two clubs per country will be able to play in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, and Real Madrid have already taken one of those slots.
The 2025 edition of the tournament will feature 32 teams from around the world, and each club will get a big bonus (reported to be 50 million dollars) for qualifying. Not to mention, there is prize money on offer, and the ability to gain exposure.
Currently, Atlético lead the race for the other spot. If they win tonight, they will have secured qualification.
However, a loss or draw could put Barcelona on the path to overtake them.
If it’s a loss, Barcelona need to reach the semifinals to qualify. If it’s a draw, Atlético would be eliminated from the UEFA Champions League. However, Club World Cup qualification rests on not just progressing through UCL knockout rounds, but the actual results of the matches within them.
That means Barcelona would have to get at least a win and a draw in the quarterfinals to overtake the capital club if they draw against Inter. For example, a win and a loss, or two draws, could be enough to reach the semis, but not enough to qualify in the quarterfinal stage for the CWC in this scenario.
However, if they were to reach the semis even without the required results, they would be able to qualify by getting results in the semifinals.
