The Club World Cup is quickly approaching the shores of the United States as it hosts the tournament in its first-ever competition. Like anything in FIFA, it hasn’t gone without controversy.
The MLS already has two teams set and ready to compete in the Inter Miami and Seattle Sounders tournament.
There is a chance for MLS to have one more spot in the tournament due to an open spot, LAFC was awarded with being selected for a play-in game with that open spot on the line.
How did LAFC earn a Qualifying spot?
Club Leon from Mexico was removed from the competition after being set to play Chelsea when the teams were originally announced.
Club Leon was informed by FIFA that they were no longer permitted to compete due to breaking ownership rules. This states that an owner or ownership group cannot own more than one team.
Liga MX still has two teams in the competition in Pachuca and Monterrey, in groups H and E, respectively.
LAFC was rewarded with a spot as the MLS representative in the qualifier due to being the runner-up in the 2023 Champions Cup. Club America, which is the Mexican side in the qualifier, was chosen due to being the top-ranked team in Concacaf without a bid in the World Cup.
LAFC fans are thrilled to have a chance to compete, while fans across the MLS are upset that other teams were not considered.
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Fan Outrage
A few teams across the MLS thought they should have been selected for this qualifying match due to recent success. The Columbus Crew has been one of the best Clubs in the MLS since Nancy took over as manager of the Crew.
A 2023 MLS Cup victory and a strong season last year had many in the Crew fan base hoping they would be selected for their domestic league success.
Despite the poor start, the LA Galaxy are the reigning champions from last season. Many would have made a case for the Galaxy before the season started, considering the Galaxy has been winless a few months into the season, it is safe to say that fans are no longer backing this idea.
The Vancouver Whitecaps rise to the top of the standings and league-wide respect due to their top form and run the Concacaf Champions Cup. Despite the Whitecaps being a top team in the West and the Champions Cup final, they don’t have a real case due to the timing of their success not aligning with the selection process.
What Group would LAFC land in
Before we talk about hypotheticals, we need to mention that LAFC won’t know if they compete in the end of the month when they play Club America. That game will take place on May 31st in LA.
If LAFC can defeat Club America, they will be inserted in group D, which could be a favorable group for the club. Seattle has the toughest group, while Inter Miami has no top European clubs in its group.
The biggest team in group D is Chelsea, the Premier League club will be the favorite to win the group. The other two teams consist of Es Tunis of Turkey and Flamengo in Brazil, despite not being in a top-flight league, both teams have high quality.
There is a chance that if LAFC qualifies, they may not score a single point. With the rise of the MLS quality in play there are many fans and critics out there that believe they can contend in their group and make it to the knockout rounds.
Credit IMAGO / Brazil Photo Press
Recording Date08.05.2025