March 21, (THEWILL) – FIFA has banned Mexican club Leon from participating in the 2025 Club World Cup tournament in the United States due to violations of multi-ownership regulations. The decision was announced on Friday following a ruling by a FIFA Appeals Committee.
Both Leon and fellow Mexican side Pachuca failed to meet tournament regulations regarding multi-club ownership, with both teams being owned by Grupo Pachuca. The FIFA statement confirmed: “Club Leon will be removed from the competition, with the club to be admitted as a replacement to be announced in due course.”
The participation of the two Mexican clubs was challenged by Costa Rican team Alajuelense on grounds of conflict of interest. According to Article 10.1 of the tournament regulations, no club participating in the competition can directly or indirectly hold or deal in securities or shares of any other participating club.
Leon had been scheduled to face Chelsea on 16 June in Atlanta, followed by matches against Brazil’s Flamengo and Tunisia’s Esperance. The removal disrupts the tournament schedule and leaves an opening in the competition that FIFA will need to fill promptly.
The expanded 32-team Club World Cup will take place across the United States from June 14 to July 13, marking the first edition of the tournament in its new format. FIFA is expected to announce a replacement team for Leon in the coming weeks to maintain the competition structure.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
