FOOTBALL – 2025 FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT REGISTERS SEPARATE APPEALS BY CLUB LEÓN AND CLUB DE FÚTBOL PACHUCA
Lausanne, 4 April 2025 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has registered individual appeals by Club León and Club de Fútbol Pachuca (Pachuca) against FIFA, filed on 2 April 2025. The appeals concern decisions by FIFA to remove Club León from participating in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
The FIFA Appeal Committee decided in March 2025 that Pachuca and Club León breached the Regulations for the FIFA World Cup Club 2025 (Art. 10.1) concerning multiple club ownership. Due to this breach, the FIFA Secretary General decided to remove Club León from the competition.
Pachuca and Club León filed appeals seeking to annul the decision by the FIFA Appeal Committee and declare that the clubs comply with the Club World Cup eligibility requirements. Club León filed an additional appeal against the decision by the FIFA Secretary General to be reinstated in the competition.
The Parties are currently exchanging written submissions for these appeals in accordance with the arbitration rules governing CAS procedures. The appeals will be expedited and heard during the week of 5 May 2025.
CAS proceedings are ongoing for a separate appeal by Asociación Liga Deportiva Alajuelense (LDA) against Club León, Pachuca and FIFA, filed in February 2025. LDA considers that Club León and Pachuca’s participation in the Club World Cup was contrary to regulations and that one of the clubs, or both, should be removed. The LDA appeal also requests that LDA should be admitted to the competition in place of a removed team as the next eligible club. This case will be heard by CAS in person in Madrid on 23 April 2025.
This document is an unofficial summary for media purposes. CAS proceedings whilst ongoing, are confidential and there will be no further comment on all four appeals at this time. A CAS list of hearings is regularly updated on the CAS website.
For further information related to the CAS activity and procedures in general, please contact either Matthieu Reeb, CAS Director General,
or Vanessa Tracey, Communications Officer. Palais de Beaulieu, av. Bergières 10, 1004 Lausanne, Switzerland.
