FIFA has quietly removed this list: all these clubs will lose their titles
It's a decision that has gone almost unnoticed in the football world, yet it represents a major change for some clubs. Following Chelsea's Club World Cup victory over PSG, FIFA stepped up its reform of the competition and quietly made a change of direction.
To put it simply, all clubs crowned between 2000 and 2023 are no longer officially considered "world champions" according to FIFA. From now on, teams are relegated under the simple new name of "FIFA Intercontinental Champions." This retroactive reclassification even applies to Chelsea, the last winner of the tournament in its old format in 2021. This is a way for FIFA to mark a clear break with the past, as a new era begins in 2025, with an expanded, four-year format for the competition.
Thus, FC Bayern Munich, crowned in 2013 and 2020, sees its two titles "erased" by losing a certain global prestige. The same goes for Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Corinthians, who previously appeared in the tournament's official winners. On FIFA's digital platforms, only Chelsea is currently presented as the first winner of the "new" Club World Cup.
This semantic shift, which may seem trivial to some, originates from the creation of the "FIFA Intercontinental Cup," launched in 2023 to offer an annual clash between the champions of each continent. Real Madrid, winners in 2024, are also the first holders of this title, and PSG will play this match next December.
With this reclassification, the world football governing body is rewriting its own narrative. Titles won before 2025 are not disappearing, but their status is changing, relegated to a separate category, now devoid of the prestigious title of "world champion."
L'Internaute
