Real Madrid Confidencial The reason why Real Madrid isn't playing for third place in the World Cup
Real Madrid returned to Spain after the defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals
Unlike what happens in the World Cup for national teams, teams eliminated from the Club World Cup won't play a match for third and fourth place. The match, which is played to determine the third-best club in the tournament, won't be held this time. Real Madrid and Fluminense were the teams selected for this match, but the Whites are already in Spain.
The match for third and fourth place is played by the teams that lose in the semifinals and are left out of the tournament's grand final. In this case, Real Madrid lost 4-0 to Paris Saint-Germain, while Fluminense lost 2-0 to Chelsea.
Why won't Real Madrid - Fluminense be played?
The match won't be played due to a simple decision by FIFA before the tournament began. In fact, in the rules for the 2025 Club World Cup, there isn't any match for third and fourth place.
"The competition will consist of a group stage, followed by the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final. There won't be a match for third place, or a bronze final", states FIFA in its regulations.
The reason is very simple: FIFA, aware that the tournament is played at the end of the season, wanted the clubs to return home. One more match for Real Madrid would have meant that the Whites played the match on Saturday, July 12, so they wouldn't arrive in Spain until the 14th.
The grand final remains to be played
This way, there is one last match left in the tournament to complete the total of 63. Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea will face each other next Sunday, July 13 at MetLife Stadium (9:00 p.m. Spanish time).
After the rout against Real Madrid, the Parisian team is the clear favorite. In addition, Luis Enrique's players have just been crowned champions of Europe, so they could complete the best season in their history.
Meanwhile, Chelsea, which also won the Conference League, has advanced through the rounds to reach the grand final. Enzo Maresca's players have great weapons to cause problems for the French, so the final promises to be quite interesting.
More posts: