Real Madrid Reasserts Participation in Club World Cup 2025 Despite Ancelotti's Earlier Remarks

Real Madrid and their manager, Carlo Ancelotti, have confirmed their participation in the upcoming Club World Cup, which is due to take place in the US between 15th June and 13th July in 2025. This comes after Ancelotti, previously stated in an interview with the Italian newspaper, Il Giornale that the club would 'refuse the invitation'.

Clarifying his comments later via social media, the 65-year-old stated his words were 'not interpreted in the way he intended'. He emphasized his interest in the tournament, viewing it as a valuable opportunity for Real Madrid to continue striving for major titles.

Ancelotti's initial remarks citing financial reasons for rejecting the participation; a single Real Madrid match is worth €20 million and FIFA's offer matched this amount for the entire tournament.

Real Madrid is one of the 12 European teams that have already qualified for the 32-team FIFA tournament. The club issued a statement saying there has been 'no question' about their participation in the new Club World Cup and showed their enthusiasm to inspire their fans worldwide with 'another trophy'.

The European Club Association responded to Ancelotti's earlier remarks, distancing themselves from those statements. FIFA dismissed claims from the World Players' Union, FIFpro, and the World Leagues Association (WLA) about not being consulted about the tournament plans. These organizations have called on FIFA to reschedule amid the threat of legal action. Despite the controversy, Real Madrid's participation is now confirmed.