With FC Barcelona's victory last night against Naples, the Barça team is one step closer to the 2025 Club World Cup. To compete in the tournament that will be held in the United States in a new format, Xavi Hernández's team needs to reach the semifinals of the Champions League and that Atlético does not eliminate Inter tonight in the round of 16.
As a first condition, Barça had to go to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. I had to break the wall that had existed since 2020, the last time the Catalan team played this phase of the Champions League. But being among the eight best in Europe also helps Barça get closer to the 2025 Club World Cup.
The Barça team will have to pay attention to what happens tonight between Atlético de Madrid and Inter Milan. If the Italians win, the Catalan team will only need to advance one more round to compete in the Mundialito, since the Madrid team leads Barça by three points in the FIFA coefficient (made up with the results of the last four editions of the Champions League).
The new Club World Cup, in which 32 teams will participate, 12 of them European, represents considerable economic benefits. Participating in the Mundialito allows the clubs to earn 50 million euros, a figure that would help clean up the Blaugranas' accounts.
If Atlético is eliminated against Inter, FC Barcelona will have to advance one more round, that is, they will have to reach the semifinals. However, and in the absence of knowing the last two teams that make it among the eight best in Europe, the quarterfinals of this edition of the Champions League could hold some really attractive confrontations.
So far Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayern, PSG, Real Madrid and Barça have qualified. Tonight the last two quarterfinalists are decided, who will come from Atlético-Inter and Borussia Dortmund-PSV. Therefore, in the absence of knowing the pairings in the draw on Friday at 12 noon - where there could be a classic -, FC Barcelona will have to kill one of the bogeymen of this edition of the Champions League if it wants to be in the new Club World Cup 2025.
