For example, Mohamed Salah won’t feature in the 2025 Club World Cup since Liverpool didn’t make the cut. This is despite Salah having an incredible season in the Premier League, scoring 29 goals and providing 18 assists - a record-breaking performance.

FIFA would have hoped to have both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in action at the 32-team Club World Cup in the US. However, while Messi’s Inter Miami is playing through the host nation’s slot, Ronaldo’s is absent from the tournament.

In the lead-up to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, speculation swirled around an eyebrow-raising question: Could Cristiano Ronaldo make a surprise appearance in the tournament, despite Al-Nassr’s failure to qualify?