Barcelona gain ground as race for 2029 FIFA Club World Cup takes shape

Since the arrival of Hansi Flick on the FC Barcelona bench, the Blaugranes have established themselves as the dominant force in Spanish football. In the German coach’s first season in charge, Barça completed a historic domestic treble, and they followed that up by winning La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup again in his second campaign.

However, despite their continued success on the domestic stage, European glory remains the club’s biggest objective. Barcelona have not lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in over a decade, and both Flick and several first-team stars have already made it clear that reclaiming Europe’s most prestigious title is their primary target heading into the new season.

Even so, the Catalans have continued to perform at a very high level in the Champions League. As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, their consistency in Europe’s premier competition has placed them in a very strong position to qualify for another major international tournament, the FIFA Club World Cup 2029.

The qualification race is still only halfway complete, with points from the 2024/25 through 2027/28 Champions League campaigns counting towards the final ranking. While FIFA is yet to confirm whether the tournament’s European allocation will be expanded beyond the currently proposed 12 clubs, Barcelona are currently leading the Spanish race and sit fourth in the overall standings with 73 points.

The Blaugranes have opened up a significant advantage over their closest domestic rivals, sitting 14 points ahead of Atletico Madrid, who have 59 points, and 16 clear of Real Madrid, who are on 57 points. Notably, Atletico and Real Madrid were the two Spanish clubs that qualified for the first expanded Club World Cup in 2025, leaving Barcelona on the outside looking in.

Only Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich currently stand above Barça in the overall ranking. Arsenal lead the way with 93 points, while PSG are second with 89 points, and Bayern occupy third place with 77.

The Parisians are also the only European side to have already secured qualification for the 2029 Club World Cup. Having won the last two Champions League titles, they have booked their place automatically and, in the process, denied Arsenal a direct qualification spot despite the English side’s strong position at the top of the rankings.

For now, there are still two editions of the Champions League left to be played, and these will have a significant impact on the final rankings before the list of qualified clubs for the Club World Cup 2029 is confirmed.

However, keeping in view their advantage over their domestic rivals and the form they have shown under Flick both in Spain and in Europe, Barcelona seem to be in a very strong position to secure a place in the next FIFA Club World Cup.

The host nation for the 2029 tournament has yet to be confirmed, although Morocco has emerged as one of the leading candidates in recent months as preparations continue for the next edition of FIFA’s revamped global competition.

Furthermore, the expanded FIFA Club World Cup is expected to generate unprecedented global interest, with supporters across Europe and beyond already keeping a close eye on qualification scenarios, tournament developments, and football-related promotions such as the Betclic promo code as anticipation continues to build for the 2029 edition.