The best players who are not playing at the Club World Cup 2025
The FIFA Club World Cup starts within the next few days, which means this summer will not be as boring as others have been over the years.
Ideally, after a long season, footballers are given the summer off to rest, and the Club World Cup was always played around December.
Because only one European club represented the continent in the former competition format, very few people cared about it.
Fans who buy Club World Cup tickets were usually those whose teams are competing in it, while others focus on supporting their clubs in their various leagues and other commitments.
However, FIFA revamped the competition and we would now have 32 teams from all the continents under FIFA playing in it.
The USA is hosting the tournaments and it will be interesting to see which club wins this first of its kind trophy for the tournament.
Thankfully, the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi will compete in it, which makes it worth watching, but there are several top players who will not compete at the Club World Cup. Who are they?
Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr
With Lionel Messi competing in the tournament, a lot of people are understandably asking questions about Ronaldo.
However, the Portuguese star will not be competing in the tournament as his team failed to qualify for it.
He also got some invites from teams to join them specifically for the tournament, but Ronaldo declined them as he focuses on signing a new contract at Al Nassr or finding a new home.
His rivalry with Messi is at an end, and this could be the last competition both of them play in unless neither of them misses the World Cup next year.
Lamine Yamal, Barcelona
Very few players have sold as many Barcelona tickets as Yamal has done in their current squad, so FIFA would have loved for him to play in the Club World Cup this summer, but that would not happen.
Barca’s poor performances in the Champions League for much of the last four seasons have cost them a place, so Spain will be represented by Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
In a year when the Ballon d’Or race is very close, it is sad that Yamal will not compete at the Club World Cup and it could determine who wins the award much later in the year.
Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen/Liverpool
Depending on when you’re reading this article, Wirtz may have become a Liverpool player, but the German sensation will not compete at the CWC.
Neither Liverpool nor Leverkusen have qualified for the competition, so he would be enjoying his summer break when it is being played before preparing for the season at Liverpool.
Will he sell enough Liverpool tickets after they spend so much money adding him to their squad? This will be tested when the Premier League and Champions League seasons begin.
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool
Salah was in the form of his life last season, which left many fans wondering why they had not signed him to a new contract.
However, the Egyptian is now set to stay at the club for two more seasons and he is one of the high-profile players that would be missing at the Club World Cup.
Salah is also in the running for the Ballon d’Or, so he would have loved to have competed and won the competition, but he will now watch from home.
Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool
Like Salah, Van Dijk was handed a new contract soon after, as Liverpool trusted him for two more seasons. The Reds would have loved for him to play for them at the Club World Cup.
But they did not qualify for the competition and VVD will be watching other superstars at home on TV this summer.
Pedri, Barcelona
For a midfielder to be in the running for the Ballon d’Or, it shows how special that player is, and that is the case for Pedri.
Since he arrived at Barcelona, he has been the engine of the team and is such a special talent that cannot be replaced or recreated.
The Spanish midfielder won Euro 2024 with the Spanish national team and was one of the best young players at Euro 2020, yet he is still just 22.
The midfielder is in a close competition with Yamal for the Ballon d’Or and it would have helped if he played at the Club World Cup.
Bukayo Saka, Arsenal
Because of Arsenal’s no-show in Europe’s biggest club competition for a long time, the Gunners have missed out on a place at the Club World Cup.
Saka is arguably their best player at the moment, and he is a star attraction wherever he is playing.
The Gunners need trophies for everyone who buys Arsenal tickets, and Saka would have loved to have won the competition for them this summer.
However, his team has not qualified for it and it will be interesting to see if they will win some trophies in the next campaign.
Declan Rice, Arsenal
Arsenal’s failure to qualify for the CWC means Rice will have to watch the competition at home while enjoying his summer break.
The midfielder has been one of the most consistent performers in the world over the last few seasons and deserves to play in the tournament.
However, that would not happen, and he will have to wait until pre-season to return to club action.
Viktor Gyokeres, Sporting Club
Portugal will have two clubs at the CWC, but none of them will be Sporting Club, as they have not done well enough in European competitions over the last four seasons.
FC Porto and Benfica will represent Portugal, and that means we will not watch Gyokeres play in the tournament.
If he moves to Manchester United or Arsenal this summer, he will still not play in it because neither club has qualified for the competition.