Real Madrid REJECT invitation to play in FIFA's expanded Club World Cup - and say likes of Chelsea and Man City will turn it down 'ghost tournament' too - in £17m payment row

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that the Spanish giants intend to reject an invitation to play at next year's Club World Cup.

The competition is set to be expanded to 32 teams and will be played across four weeks in the US next summer following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season. 

Madrid were expected to be one of the standout clubs to take part - having won the tournament on five occasions in the last nine years - but Ancelotti is adamant that his team will not play due to FIFA not offering enough money, and believes other sides will follow suit. 

Chelsea and Man City are also slated to take part, though their own participation will now be under the microscope following the Italian's words. 

'FIFA forgets that the clubs and players will not participate in that tournament,' Ancelotti said in an interview with Il Giornale, as quoted by Relevo.

'A single Real Madrid match is worth €20million (£17m) and they want to give us that money for the entire competition. Negative. 

'Real Madrid, like other clubs, we will decline the invitation.'

Chelsea and City are England's representatives in the tournament, having won the Champions League in 2021 and 2023 respectively. 

They make up two of the 12 European nations invited to the competition, which include the winners of Europe's premier trophy from each of the past four seasons. The rest of the continent's slots have been allocated based on club's UEFA ranking over the past four years.

They'll be joined by four teams from Asia and four from Africa, as well as six from South America and four from North America. Oceania gets one spot, with the final place allocated to an MLS side on behalf of the host nation. 

Host cities in the US are yet to be determined. 

The 32 teams will be divided into eight groups, from which the top two will qualify for the last-16 stage.  

Sources close to Real Madrid today told Spanish newspaper AS: 'Ancelotti speaks on behalf of the club. The coach is right, of course.

'It's a ghost tournament.'

FIFA's decision to expand the Club World Cup has been criticised in recent weeks due to concerns over player welfare.

Premier League and LaLiga chiefs have threatened to boycott the competition, and accused FIFA of 'killing the game' by adding more matches to an already-packed football calendar.

PFA boss Maheta Molango even revealed that legal action could be taken against FIFA if they don't row back on their plans to expand the Club World Cup.

'Those who run the game need to listen,' he told The Sun. 'If they don't, then as unions we have a responsibility to the players to take action — and the legal route is the next step.

'The governing bodies have had every chance to meaningfully engage with us on this, but they have failed to do so. Current player workloads are unsustainable.'

Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano also believes moving to a 32-team format represents part of a 'crisis' when it comes to fixture scheduling, hinting that the Premier League champions may also consider whether participating is in their best interests.

However, PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi has no intention of withdrawing his side from the competition, and has insisted the Club World Cup will be 'bigger than the World Cup'.