Eight additional teams have been deprived of a significant FIFA title in the wake of Chelsea’s triumph in the Club World Cup. It has come to light that three teams from the Premier League – Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool – have lost their previous status as world champions due to the restructuring of the Club World Cup, which has resulted in the previous format being downgraded to ‘intercontinental status’.
Nevertheless, the repercussions are not limited to the English clubs, as eight other teams have also learned that they will be stripped of their titles, which includes five clubs from Europe.
Among the prominent teams poised to forfeit their World Championship titles are the La Liga powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Madrid, who has secured the Club World Cup five times under its previous format, will now have to reclaim that title in light of the tournament’s updated structure. However, they currently hold the title of reigning champions of the Intercontinental Cup – a title that predates the existing competition.
The alterations also affect other past champions, including Barcelona, who has triumphed three times, along with Bayern Munich and Corinthians, both of whom have won it twice.
Los Cules’ most recent victory occurred in 2015 when they defeated River Plate 3-0 in the final, while Bayern triumphed over the Mexican team Tigres UANL 1-0 in 2020. Corinthians achieved a surprising victory against Chelsea in 2012.
Furthermore, Sao Paulo and Internacional, who were awarded championships in 2005 and 2006 respectively, along with AC Milan and their rivals Inter Milan, have all been stripped of their world champion status according to the new criteria, indicating a notable change in the official recognition of global club supremacy.