FIFA has officially reclassified a major accolade, leaving Manchester United, Liverpool, and Manchester City stripped of their previous world champion status.
The trio watched from the sidelines as Chelsea cruised to victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the recent Club World Cup final. ..Continue Reading
Cole Palmer netted twice, while Joao Pedro added another before the break, sealing the win with no further goals after half-time.
Under manager Enzo Maresca, Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup trophy for the first time—having previously fallen short in a past final against Corinthians.
This year’s edition featured a revamped format, expanding to dozens of teams from global confederations and introducing both group and knockout stages.
FIFA has now ruled that Chelsea are the official inaugural winners of the newly structured tournament, effectively rewriting the record books.
As a result, Chelsea are now the only club recognized as world champions, while past winners—including United, Liverpool, and City—have been reclassified under a new title.
This revised name aligns with a similarly named competition that pits continental champions against each other in a year-end mini-tournament.
It’s worth noting this differs from the historic competition that ran for decades between European and South American champions.
The redesigned Club World Cup also introduced a fresh trophy, although the previous version bore the same tournament branding.
Ultimately, the updated honor roll now highlights a single world champion—Chelsea—and relegates former titleholders to a secondary status.
Looking ahead, the next Club World Cup is scheduled for 2029, with several teams already qualified through recent continental wins.
