Club Leon have been removed from this summer’s Club World Cup by FIFA to leave Chelsea needing new opening group stage opponents.
Following their CONCACAF Champions League success in 2023, the Mexican side had been due to compete in the first edition of the revamped and expanded 32-team competition in the United States beginning in June.
Leon had been placed in Group D in December’s draw, alongside Chelsea, Brazilian giants Flamengo and Tunisian club Esperance de Tunis, with their first game scheduled to come against Enzo Maresca’s Blues at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on June 16.
However, Leon’s status in the competition had been subject to question due to a challenge by Costa Rican side Alajuelense, who claimed that both Leon and domestic rivals Pachuca being involved in the same Club World Cup broke FIFA rules preventing clubs with the same owners from taking part. Both clubs are currently owned by Grupo Pachuca.
The case was referred by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee to the FIFA Appeals Committee, whose chairman ruled on Friday that Leon and Pachuca failed to meet the criteria on multi-club ownership as laid out in FIFA’s Club World Cup regulations.
Leon have been removed from the competition as a result, though Pachuca - winners of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup - remain involved. They are in Group H alongside Real Madrid, Al-Hilal and Red Bull Salzburg.
FIFA have not yet named a club to replace Leon, whose current squad includes the likes of Colombian star James Rodriguez and former Mexico captain and most-capped player Andres Guardado, though said an announcement would be made in due course.
CONCACAF Central American Cup holders and 30-time Costa Rican champions Alajuelense, who had requested a resolution at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ahead of the Club World Cup, believe they should have been included in the competition instead.
