Fifa considers play-off to decide final place at Club World Cup after Leon ban

Los Angeles FC and Mexican team America could face off to determine final team if Leon fail to overturn decision

James Rodriguez says any team replacing Leon at the Fifa Club World Cup would be 'stained'. Reuters

The final entry for this summer's Club World Cup in the United States could be decided in a play-off game between Los Angeles FC and Mexican team America, depending on the outcome of a legal case involving a team that was kicked out of the tournament.

Mexican club Leon were expelled by world football's governing body last month for breaching tournament rules concerning multi-club ownership.

Fifa ruled that Leon failed to provide sufficient evidence to refute its connection with Grupo Pachuca, which also owns Pachuca CF, a rival Mexican club who are also taking part in the 32-team tournament.

Grupo Pachuca insist that the clubs are administratively distinct and said it would argue its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a hearing on April 23 in Madrid.

A Fifa spokesperson told AFP the organisation was considering staging a one-off match between Major League Soccer's LAFC and Club America to fill the vacancy created by Leon's ban.

Those selections notably keep Costa Rica’s LD Alajuelense out of the competition after the club’s complaint in 2024 led to Leon’s ouster.

Article 10 of Fifa’s regulations for the 2025 Club World Cup stipulate that “No individual or legal entity may have control or influence over more than one club participating in the competition,” and that “if two or more clubs fail to meet the criteria… only one of them may be admitted to the competition.”

Under Fifa's play-off plan, LAFC, who finished runners-up to Leon in the 2023 Concacaf Champions League, would face Mexican giants America, who were deemed as the "top-ranked team" in confederation ranking.

"Fifa can confirm it is considering one play-off match between LAFC and Club America for the right to participate in the Fifa Club World Cup 2025, replacing Club Leon following the decision of the Fifa Appeal Committee," a Fifa spokesperson told AFP.

"The winner of the play-off would qualify unless legal proceedings rule otherwise."

Leon players and staff have spoken out against Fifa’s decision to expel them from the competition, with captain Andres Guardado taking an indirect swipe at Alajuelense in the process.

“The teams raising their hands for the right to compete in our place should be ashamed of themselves,” Guardado said, according to ESPN. “It is a brutal injustice.”

Former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich playmaker James Rodriguez told The Athletic "the team that would replace us would be stained.”

The victor of this play-off would also take home $9.55 million in prize money awarded by Fifa to qualified teams from the Concacaf region.

The team replacing Leon will line up in Group D of the tournament, where they will face Premier League side Chelsea, Brazil's Flamengo and ES Tunis of Tunisia.