Club León has been officially reinstated in the 2025 Club World Cup, as confirmed by FIFA on its website on March 25. This decision comes after a week of controversy, after the club was temporarily excluded for violating the multi-property rule by being part of Grupo Pachuca, the same consortium that owns the Pachuca club.
FIFA initially aligned itself with the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which established that the participation of two teams from the same business group contravened the new tournament rules. However, León presented evidence that when it qualified, these regulations did not exist. As a result, the team was reinstated in the official tournament calendar, and its appeal will be formally presented before the CAS in early April, with the support of Íñigo Riestra, secretary general of the Mexican Soccer Federation (Femexfut).
Leon’s legal argument
Buzzy
Club León’s position is clear:
Although they acknowledge that they share ownership with Club Pachuca, they maintain that there were no regulations preventing their participation when they won their ticket to the Club World Cup as champions of the CONCACAF Champions League 2023.
In addition, the club claims that FIFA updated the eligibility regulations until after its qualification.
This would be a modification with retroactive effect, something that CAS does not usually endorse in international competitions.
From the perspective of Femexfut and CAS itself, the sporting value of having won on the field has a fundamental weight.
Therefore, the Mexican authorities are confident that the appeal will be favorable to León.
The dispute for the place
The conflict intensified following a complaint from Costa Rica’s Alajuelense.
The Tico squad was hoping to take León’s place in the Club World Cup as the next best qualified team in the region.
The team was reinstated in the official tournament calendar
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However, so far, FIFA has not recognized the legitimacy of this claim.
Keeps León as an official participant in the new format of the Club World Cup 2025
This tournament will be played in the United States from June 15 to July 13.
For more information, visit QueOnnda.com.
