Club León will remain excluded from the competition, and Pachuca will maintain its qualification. The appeal filed by Alajuelense to be included as a substitute for one of the Mexican clubs has also been rejected by the CAS. Both clubs had appealed this decision requesting its annulment and declaring that they meet the participation requirements for the Club World Cup.
The hearing before the CAS took place on May 5 at the organization’s headquarters. Alajuelense from Costa Rica had filed a complaint in February arguing that, due to its position in the CONCACAF rankings, it deserved to take the place of one of the Mexican teams.
The CAS has rejected the appeals of Pachuca and Club León considering that they do not meet the club ownership criteria established in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Regulations, specifically regarding León's trust.
As a result of this decision, the winner of the sole match between Los Angeles FC from the United States and Club América from Mexico will take Club León's place in the 2025 Club World Cup. This tournament will be held in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025, according to FIFA.
After the rejection of the appeals by the CAS, FIFA will designate the team that will replace Club León in the event. FIFA indicated that the winner of a match between Los Angeles Football Club and Club América will take that spot in Group D of the 2025 Club World Cup, alongside Brazil's Flamengo, Tunisia's Espérance, and England's Chelsea.
In a prior determination in March, FIFA had excluded Club León for violating the ownership regulations.
