Why won't Barcelona feature at the Club World Cup?

Barcelona recently completed a remarkable campaign, clinching both the La Liga and Copa del Rey titles with stylish football, and narrowly missing out on a place in the Champions League final.

Their omission from the 32-team Club World Cup has therefore raised eyebrows, as they are undoubtedly one of the world's premier clubs.

Unfortunately for Hansi Flick's side, this season's achievements have come too late to make a difference. The selection criteria for the tournament were based on performances over the previous three years.

FIFA's points-based coefficient system for UEFA teams took into account European results from 2021 to 2024.

Of the 12 slots allocated to European clubs, four were reserved for Champions League winners during that period, while the remaining eight were awarded based on accumulated points—subject to a maximum of two clubs per country.

Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City all lifted the Champions League trophy in that span. As Madrid won the competition twice, an additional slot was made available.

In the final rankings, Atletico Madrid finished with 67 points, edging out Barcelona, who managed 61. Due to the two-club-per-nation rule, several clubs with fewer points—such as Benfica (57), Juventus (52) and Salzburg (40)—qualified ahead of the Blaugrana.

Barcelona's back-to-back group stage exits in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 Champions League campaigns ultimately proved costly, allowing Atletico to overtake them in the race for a European place at the Club World Cup.

As a result, fans will miss out on the likes of Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha—key figures in the current squad and potential Ballon d'Or contenders in 2025—on the global stage.