Juventus officially qualify for the Club World Cup

Credit: Photo by Icon sport

Napoli’s elimination from the Champions League Round of 16 means that Juventus are mathematically qualified for the Club World Cup along with Inter.

The Partenopei had tried several legal avenues to force Juve out, but FIFA reiterated last week that Juve remained in pole position. President Aurelio De Laurentis had hoped that Juventus would be excluded on the basis of the financial irregularities that saw them knocked out of the UEFA competition this season. Despite not being in the Champions League this season, Juve still accumulated enough points to beat Napoli after their 3-1 defeat by Barcelona, 4-2 on aggregate. Inter have already secured their place in the 32-team tournament, which will be held every four years involving clubs from all over the world. The first edition of this new format will be played in the USA in June 2025, with eight groups of four teams. La Gazzetta dello Sport had reported that De Laurentiis had promised the Napoli players €10 million each if they beat Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League, and he told CBS Sports today that it was “more than that”.