FIFA announced on Friday, March 21st, that the FIFA Appeal Committee has decided to exclude Mexican side Club Leon from the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

Top Mexican side Club Leon kicked out of FIFA Club World Cup after failing multi-club ownership rules.

Replacement club still tbc pic.twitter.com/HaSkmWv7FR
— Martyn Ziegler (@martynziegler) March 21, 2025

The decision has been made due to the violation of FIFA regulations that prohibit multi-ownership among teams competing in the same tournament.

However, Costa Rican side Deportiva Alajuelense have sparked up significant controversy as they have claimed the vacant slot in an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), alleging that Leon and Pachuca, the Mexican clubs sharing common ownership, should be debarred from the tournament.

❌ 2025 Club World Cup currently have 31/32 clubs confirmed, after removal of 🇲🇽 Club León due to a multi-club ownership.

🇨🇷 Alajuelense from Costa Rica, which filed this complaint in the first place, are the most likely replacement, but FIFA are yet to confirm that. pic.twitter.com/tS6PA65kBY
— Football Rankings (@FootRankings) March 22, 2025

Read Also | FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Draw: Groups, Format, and Schedule

Club Leon's exclusion from the FIFA Club World Cup 2025

Club Leon won’t be allowed to compete in the Club World Cup due to Fifa’s multi-ownership rules — Club leon (Imge Credit | Getty)

FIFA confirmed on Friday that Club Leon failed to meet the criteria stated in Article 10, Paragraph 1 of the tournament regulations. The Club ownership rule has been explained in this article, which clearly states the following:

No individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in the Competition, such control or influence being defined in this context as:

i) holding a majority of the shareholders’ voting rights;

ii) having the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory body of the club;

iii) being a shareholder and alone controlling a majority of the shareholders’ voting rights pursuant to an agreement entered into with other shareholders of the club; or

iv) being able to exercise by any means a decisive influence in the decision-making of the club.

According to these rules, Club Leon failed to comply with the regulation as they are owned by Grupo Pachuca, which also owns Pachuca, another Mexican side participating in this tournament from the Concacaf spot.

FIFA stated in an official statement that "Pachuca and Club León failed to meet the criteria on multi-club ownership". The statment says:

After having evaluated all evidence on file, the chairman of the FIFA Appeal Committee has decided that CF Pachuca and Club León failed to meet the criteria on multi-club ownership defined under article 10 paragraph 1 of the Regulations for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.

In line with article 10 paragraph 4 of the Regulations for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, FIFA has determined that Club León will be removed from the competition, with the club to be admitted as a replacement to be announced in due course.

Recently, representatives from the Pachuca and Leon football clubs met with FIFA to insist that the two clubs operate independently, even though they share some shareholders. Despite the efforts, FIFA was not convinced and ruled against Leon, leaving another controversy concerning the participating teams.

Club Leon earned their place in the expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup as they won the Concacaf Champions Cup in 2023, a tournament that was also won by Pachuca in 2024, ensuring their qualification as well.

Leon decided to appeal against FIFA's decision

Bajan del Mundial de Clubes a un equipo mexicano 🔽

Vaya lío se fue metiendo la #FIFA. Alajuelense se la jugó y, aunque tampoco tiene algo asegurado, sí movió la rama y sacudió el ambiente.

Embrollo para nombrar al sustituto y embrollo también porque vendrá apelación. pic.twitter.com/483qFbneEU
— Alex Gaitán (@AlexGaitanCR) March 21, 2025

Pachuca and Club Leon published an official club statement following the decision, stating that they are "dissatisfied with this decision" and will "defend what was earned on the field in a fair". The statement is as follows:

We have just been informed by FIFA that one of the two teams: Pachuca and León, participants in the 2025 Club World Cup, will be excluded from the competition. We are dissatisfied with this decision, and we will appeal it to the highest levels, including the highest sports tribunal, as all the evidence and documentation proving our administrative and sporting independence were presented in a timely and transparent manner.

In our case, we will defend what was earned on the field in a fair, professional manner, and in accordance with the competition rules.

America v Tigres UANL - Final Torneo Apertura 2023 Liga MX — Mikel Arriola. (Image Credit | Getty)

Mikel Arriola, the Mexico Football Federation president, has also assured that they will fight for "Liga MX to keep its three spots" in the upcoming tournament. He said:

Technically, we will push for that. The FIFA Disciplinary Committee is the one with the authority to define spots and quotas for each league, but we will certainly defend our three spots,

There is constant communication with Club León. Since this decision became known, I have been in contact with the Pachuca Group, but I believe we all need to be very cautious and wait for a process among all parties, in this case between a club and FIFA. We will remain attentive. It’s a legal process that will need to be supported by both the League and the Federation. There will be an appeal, and we will remain attentive and wait.

Paris 2024 Olympic Games - Day Fifteen — Víctor Montagliani (on the left) with FIFA president Infantino. (Image Credit | Getty)

Víctor Montagliani, the Concacaf president, has also shown his support for Club Leon regarding this incident. The Concacaf chief expressed his support via a statement during an interview with TUDN México.

I support León because they won the ConcaChampions on the field. We hope that at the end of this legal process, León will be allowed to play in the Club World Cup,

Club Leon has decided to appeal against FIFA at CAS with the backing of Concacaf, along with Liga MX, which already has Monterrey and Pachuca as participants in the Club World Cup.

VERSIÓN OFICIAL pic.twitter.com/V71yytjRh0
— Club León (@clubleonfc) March 19, 2025

Leon was drawn in Group D along with the English side Chelsea, Brazilian side Flamengo, and Tunisian side Esperance. However, the vacant berth left by Leon has been targeted by clubs such as Alajuelense, Club America, Tigres UNAL etc.

Alajuelense’s previous complaint and CAS appeal

TOPSHOT-FBL-CONCACAF-CENTRAL-AMERICAN-CUP-ALAJUELENSE-REAL ESTELI — Alajuelense at the Concacaf Central American Cup. (Image Credit | Getty)

Interestingly, Alajuelense’s complaint regarding the multi-ownership issue initiated the investigation by the FIFA Appeal Committee, leading to Club Leon’s exclusion.

🚨Comunicado oficial🚨Liga Deportiva Alajuelense presenta reclamo ante FIFA por el Mundial de Clubes 2025. https://t.co/yUTdLnWu4j
— Alajuelense Oficial (@ldacr) November 20, 2024

The Costa Rican side is the most well-positioned team at this moment to take the vacant spot left by Club Leon in the Club World Cup, as it currently holds the highest ranking in Concacaf, excluding clubs from MLS and Liga MX, which have already been assigned their entitled spots.

Alajuelense also won the Concacaf Central American Cup consecutively in 2023 and 2024, strengthening their argument to be awarded a spot in the Club World Cup.

Alajuelense quickly responded to comments made by Víctor Montagliani, the president of Concacaf, who publicly expressed support for Club Leon.

LDA condena declaraciones del presidente de CONCACAF. pic.twitter.com/RMlbM3aFZY
— Alajuelense Oficial (@ldacr) March 24, 2025

The Club condemned the comments by Montagliani in an official statement published in the Club's socials. The statement partly reads:

In these statements, Mr. Montagliani expressed his explicit support for Club León—an institution currently excluded by FIFA due to violations of integrity rules related to multi-ownership—and expressed his desire for the club to be reinstated in the tournament, disregarding the ongoing legal process before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS), initiated by our institution.

Both Liga Deportiva Alajuelense and Club León are part of CONCACAF. Therefore, the statements of the president of the Confederation constitute a serious transgression of the duty of neutrality, the principle of impartiality, and the institutional loyalty that should govern the actions of any international sports authority.

Alajuelense have stirred up an intentional controversy with some strong backings

Unafut y organización de la liga española unen fuerzas para transformar el fútbol tico: Conozca los detalles del acuerdo — José Carlos Loaiza Gallego. UNAFUT's executive director and former La Liga executive. (Image Credit | La Republica)

Alajuelense have put up argument that they must replace Club Leon immediately, but their case does not appear to be founded on the set rules or their acknowledgement. The club contends that if Leon is eliminated, they should be considered as the replacement from the Concacaf zone.

Their arguments are based on the rules that dictate that there must be only two teams from one nation. At present, the US has two qualified teams: Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami (the latter being a controversial choice). Two qualified teams from Mexico are Pachuca and Monterrey.

Alajuelense have claimed that they are the next highest-ranked team and, as such, should be part of the competition. But the ranking they are quoting is an unofficial club ranking published by the IFFHS, which is not recognized by Concacaf or by FIFA.

Even if it was accepted, the second-placed team would not automatically qualify; they will have had to earn that right through the relevant qualifying tournaments, as the rules state.

FIFA will have the final say on which team will play in case Club Leon lose its appeal with the CAS and remain excluded from competition. This ruling could also provide the choice of inserting a third team from either Mexico or the USA since there are several teams from both nations ranked higher than Alajuelense.

Comunicado Oficial pic.twitter.com/zkH7HFmjNz
— Club León (@clubleonfc) March 21, 2025

Looking at the parties to the Alajuelense case poses many questions about possible destabilizing agendas. Alajuelense's legal team has close ties with Spain's La Liga and its top leadership. There is also a cooperation between La Liga and Costa Rica's league authority, UNAFUT.

The alliance is serious, as witnessed by the recent appointment of former La Liga executive José Carlos Loaiza Gallego as UNAFUT's executive director. La Liga and its president, Javier Tebas, have repeatedly attacked FIFA and the role of the Club World Cup in the football calendar.

Since UNAFUT has adopted a dissenting position and is pursuing lawsuit outside Europe, there is no sign that they will desist from trying to create confusion around this topic.

INACEPTABLE pic.twitter.com/tV9Y4Bf8ZF
— Club León (@clubleonfc) March 21, 2025

Club Leon is not yet out of the Club World Cup. Grupo Pachuca has provisions on the books similar to those of UEFA competitions which permit two teams with the same ownership to be in the competition at the same time.

CAS can rule that these provisions are adequate to permit Club Leon to remain in the competition, alleviating any doubt about conflicts of interest and potential manipulation.

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