Gold Cup 2025 bringing in 8 outside teams

[Sean Miller Fan]

France
Spain
Colombia
Uruguay
Japan
South Korea
Egypt
Senegal

The usual 16 CONCACAF teams + the 8 others.

This is actually a great idea as its essentially a defacto Confederations Cup and gives USA, Mexico, and Canada meaningful games an a "do-over" from their poor Copa play.

What has yet to be ironed out is which players will play for these teams and who will get released by their clubs since the Club World Cup is supposed to be taking place at the same time. My guess is that the Gold Cup will start towards the end of the Club World Cup now and CONCACAF will allow teams to add Club World Cup players to Gold Cup rosters in the middle of the tournament. That's how they used to do it when the Gold Cup was played in Confed Cup years. So Real Madrid wins the Club World Cup and then their players join France and Spain for the Gold Cup knockout round. Something like that.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

France
Spain
Colombia
Uruguay
Japan
South Korea
Egypt
Senegal

The usual 16 CONCACAF teams + the 8 others.

This is actually a great idea as its essentially a defacto Confederations Cup and gives USA, Mexico, and Canada meaningful games an a "do-over" from their poor Copa play.

What has yet to be ironed out is which players will play for these teams and who will get released by their clubs since the Club World Cup is supposed to be taking place at the same time. My guess is that the Gold Cup will start towards the end of the Club World Cup now and CONCACAF will allow teams to add Club World Cup players to Gold Cup rosters in the middle of the tournament. That's how they used to do it when the Gold Cup was played in Confed Cup years. So Real Madrid wins the Club World Cup and then their players join France and Spain for the Gold Cup knockout round. Something like that.

Well the Gold Cup isn’t exactly a priority for Spain and France. And being that the relationships between the countries and the clubs is delicate and sometimes there are give and takes, is France going to push a club hard to have their stars participate? And will they want to?

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Well the Gold Cup isn’t exactly a priority for Spain and France. And being that the relationships between the countries and the clubs is delicate and sometimes there are give and takes, is France going to push a club hard to have their stars participate? And will they want to?

You dont think young kids in France and Spain dream of lifting a Gold Cup trophy?

Its going to be interesting because the top players on all these teams arent going to want to play in either of these tournaments and we dont know if they will take place at the exact same time or not.

My guess is the clubs will require full participation in the Club World Cup but will excuse players with minor injuries or perhaps a few stars who had heavy workloads. I'd wonder if lets say, an Mbappe wins the Club World Cup and then maybe decides to hang out in LA for an extra 2 weeks playing some games for France.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

You dont think young kids in France and Spain dream of lifting a Gold Cup trophy?

Its going to be interesting because the top players on all these teams arent going to want to play in either of these tournaments and we dont know if they will take place at the exact same time or not.

My guess is the clubs will require full participation in the Club World Cup but will excuse players with minor injuries or perhaps a few stars who had heavy workloads. I'd wonder if lets say, an Mbappe wins the Club World Cup and then maybe decides to hang out in LA for an extra 2 weeks playing some games for France.

You’d guess that the clubs require participation? Of course they will. It’s no different than it’s ever been. Another trophy for the Real Madrid or Man City trophy case.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

You’d guess that the clubs require participation? Of course they will. It’s no different than it’s ever been. Another trophy for the Real Madrid or Man City trophy case.

Not following all that closely but I thought I heard rumblings of lawsuits and players trying to opt out. I do think there will be a wide variation.

- some players opting out of both with either fake injuries or minor injuries with club and country permission

- some playing in one but not the other

- some playing in both

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Not following all that closely but I thought I heard rumblings of lawsuits and players trying to opt out. I do think there will be a wide variation.

- some players opting out of both with either fake injuries or minor injuries with club and country permission

- some playing in one but not the other

- some playing in both

Me neither. I haven’t heard. I just don’t see how players can opt out of a club obligation.

 

[brdst11]

Me neither. I haven’t heard. I just don’t see how players can opt out of a club obligation.

If it's in the FIFA international window, don't they have to release players?

Or is this an exception to that?

 

[Fk_Pitt]

If it's in the FIFA international window, don't they have to release players?

Or is this an exception to that?

Oh yeah I would think clubs are to release players. I just wonder though that in the give and take negotiations between club and country, that the Gold Cup is not really a priority for those countries, and in a “pick your battles” scenario, countries won’t push for players and keep that trump card in their pocket for a negotiation down the road. And maybe they send their B teams? I dunno. Copa america was a big deal for the US. Would the Gold Cup be a big deal for Uruguay? I can’t imagine it would be for Spain or France.

But my point to SMF was about the club World Cup. I don’t see how players can opt out of that. The clubs are paying those 300-500k per week wages because they want to win trophies. Wearing that gold FIFA badge on the jersey the next year is something most clubs would like to do.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Oh yeah I would think clubs are to release players. I just wonder though that in the give and take negotiations between club and country, that the Gold Cup is not really a priority for those countries, and in a “pick your battles” scenario, countries won’t push for players and keep that trump card in their pocket for a negotiation down the road. And maybe they send their B teams? I dunno. Copa america was a big deal for the US. Would the Gold Cup be a big deal for Uruguay? I can’t imagine it would be for Spain or France.

But my point to SMF was about the club World Cup. I don’t see how players can opt out of that. The clubs are paying those 300-500k per week wages because they want to win trophies. Wearing that gold FIFA badge on the jersey the next year is something most clubs would like to do.

Players cant opt out of the Club World Cup but what I mean is that you will have some stars arrange with their team to just skip it. Some will have minor injuries that will need "rehabbed." For some, they may cite a fake injury. While Im sure that these teams would like all their best players to play, it also comes at a risk. Do they really want to risk injury playing against the New Zealand champs and the Seattle Sounders? Clubs have to be careful here because they need their players fresh and healthy 8 weeks later.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

If it's in the FIFA international window, don't they have to release players?

Or is this an exception to that?

Clubs have to release players for the Gold Cup during regular circumstances. But this Club World Cup is brand new so if its played at the same time, my guess is that FIFA wont make clubs release players. FIFA wants the best players at their tournament. They are making money off of it. They dont care about a CONCACAF tournament.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Players cant opt out of the Club World Cup but what I mean is that you will have some stars arrange with their team to just skip it. Some will have minor injuries that will need "rehabbed." For some, they may cite a fake injury. While Im sure that these teams would like all their best players to play, it also comes at a risk. Do they really want to risk injury playing against the New Zealand champs and the Seattle Sounders? Clubs have to be careful here because they need their players fresh and healthy 8 weeks later.

I see. But the way I see it, those players are still making the trip and a match vs the Sounders will be treated like an FA Cup match vs Blackburn , Wrexham or Wigan Athletic.

But if they’re injured, they’re injured…and wouldn’t play whether it’s the club World Cup or the champions league or Europa league.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

Morocco: "not pleased"

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I see. But the way I see it, those players are still making the trip and a match vs the Sounders will be treated like an FA Cup match vs Blackburn , Wrexham or Wigan Athletic.

But if they’re injured, they’re injured…and wouldn’t play whether it’s the club World Cup or the champions league or Europa league.

I mean injuries that they'd play through under normal circumstances though. I can see a player with some knee pain towards the end of the season just telling the club he wants to reat and skip the USA trip. Or maybe they bring him starting in the quarterfinals?

Your FA Cup example isnt a good one as the stars dont play until maybe the quarters.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

I mean injuries that they'd play through under normal circumstances though. I can see a player with some knee pain towards the end of the season just telling the club he wants to reat and skip the USA trip. Or maybe they bring him starting in the quarterfinals?

Your FA Cup example isnt a good one as the stars dont play until maybe the quarters.

Sure it’s a good example. The stars play when they need to and don’t when their minutes need managed. They play plenty in the Fa Cup but are rested if they can. And in the case of the CWC, the stars will play when they need to. In group play they will but if it’s a weak team they won’t. But I don’t see them not making the trip.