Talk:FIFA Club World Cup

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Merge proposal

I propose that the current FIFA Club World Cup article be merged into FIFA Intercontinental Cup, and that a new article be created for the FIFA Club World Cup (2025–present) (the expanded 32‑team tournament).

Rationale

• The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is the **direct continuity of the old FIFA Club World Cup (2000–2023)**, serving as the annual competition between continental champions. FIFA itself describes the Intercontinental Cup as the successor to the old Club World Cup, following the expansion of the latter into a quadrennial event.
• The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is explicitly described by FIFA as a **new competition**, with a new format, new trophy, and inaugural edition in 2025. It is not a continuation of the previous annual Club World Cup, but rather a distinct tournament held every four years.
• Maintaining separate articles will avoid confusion:

- The Intercontinental Cup article should cover the continuity of the annual world club champion competition. - A new article should be created for the expanded FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and subsequent editions, reflecting its distinct identity and format.

Supporting sources

• FIFA official site: FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ – confirms this is a new competition with a new format and inaugural edition.
• FIFA official site: FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2025™ – describes the Intercontinental Cup as the ongoing annual competition between continental champions.
• Independent coverage: Sporting News – confirms the 2025 Club World Cup is a new, expanded competition.
• Media sources: Olympics.com – notes the revamped Club World Cup is a new quadrennial tournament.

Conclusion

To reflect FIFA’s own framing and avoid duplication:

• Merge the existing FIFA Club World Cup article into FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
• Create a new article for the FIFA Club World Cup (2025–present) to cover the quadrennial expanded tournament.

This was already lenghly discussed many times, both here and especially at the 2025 edition talk page, and there is no clear indecisive consensus regarding this, so we are maintaining status quo. You just selectively provided sources that calls it a new competition (including primary FIFA sources), but there are also many sources calling it a continuation of the old tournament, with Chelsea winning it for the 2nd time and not 1st etc. Snowflake91 (talk) 18:00, 11 December 2025 (UTC)

This source by FIFA explicitly states that the old CWC was renamed as Intercontinental Cup with all statistics carrying over and that the 32-team CWC is a new competition https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/intercontinentalcup/2025/articles/intercontinental-cup-2025-everything-you-need-to-know. Footballnerd2007 • talk ⚽ 12:58, 13 December 2025 (UTC)

"Since it was first launched – as the FIFA Club World Championship in 2000 – the FIFA Intercontinental Cup has evolved to become the premier annual tournament in global club football." yeah you are right. KyleRGiggs (talk) 08:52, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

When you are talking about many sources, I wonder if they are reliable sources. Come on, it is already beyond reliable sources. The status of the tournament should be defined by the organisers, not media. Plenty of sources called it a continuation of the old tournament, but does FIFA accept it? When FIFA says the FIFA Club World Cup is the inaugural tournament, the latest source from the recently FIFA Best Player announcement regarding Dembele, the old annual tournament is no longer a part of the quadrennial one. I don't think merging into FIFA Intercontinental Cup is a good decision, as there is too much bias. However, I strongly agree move the old annual FIFA Club World Cup to "FIFA Club World Cup (2000–25)" and creating a new article as "FIFA Club World Cup", which we do the same treatment to the Wembley Stadium article. If you are talking about the edition article pages, I will accept the next version to the FIFA Club World Cup 2023 could be FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024 and FIFA Club World Cup 2025. But if you are talking about the nature of the tournament article, I will strongly agree to separate the article. KyleRGiggs (talk) 08:49, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

Yes, this is probably the best way forward. Footballnerd2007 • talk ⚽ 16:18, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

I agree that creating a new article of the quadrennial FIFA Club World Cup(2025-) is at least the first step we should take. While some media still views the quadrennial tournament the same as the annual one, the two are so much different in format, frequency, number and qualification method of participating teams, trophy, prize money, and pretty much every thing just except for the name. I understand why this takes time because of the many secondary sources that do not distinguish the old and new mainly because of their names, but there never could be a unanimous consensus on all the media out there, and this is where the primary source should be considered as the most reliable one. Hazard1717 (talk) 16:34, 20 December 2025 (UTC)

literally just Snowflake shooting people down every time this proposal comes up. We need to change this and have a new article and treat the new Club World Cup format as a new competition with Chelsea the first winner. It’s ridiculous it’s taken this long. Why is the Intercontinental Cup worded the new one when everyone is in agreement that is the yearly continuation of the old CWC. ~2025-41246-42 (talk) 20:26, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

literally over 25 people participated at the Talk:2025 FIFA Club World Cup and there were no clear unanimous consensus, so no we won't change anything overnight just because you don't like it, even the FIFA claims that 2025 is the 2nd edition of the Intercontinental Cup. Snowflake91 (talk) 20:51, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

just give it a rest, it's time to change it. ~2025-41358-17 (talk) 23:17, 17 December 2025 (UTC)

There is too much bias there. I am not yet to agree merging the old format to the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. However I think there is a need to separate the old history out of the new format. In FIFA point of view, they are just the same name, and, 2025 is just talking about which version is it, that is no relevance in separating the article. KyleRGiggs (talk) 11:13, 18 December 2025 (UTC)

and as long as you say no, there will never be a consensus. so you say what happens and all others cant do anything Future-Trunks (talk) 11:43, 18 December 2025 (UTC)

To ensure clarity for the reader and maintain historical accuracy, it is important to consider how FIFA itself distinguishes the annual formats. A key piece of evidence is found on FIFA's official page for the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, which refers to the 2025 event as the "second edition" of the new-look tournament.

This official restart of the edition count suggests that the annual competition is being treated as a new historical lineage. If it were a direct continuation of the previous annual format (2000–2023), the 2025 edition would logically be labeled as the 22nd, rather than the second of new-look (new era).

Furthermore, the distinction in the official status of the titles is clearly demonstrated by the FIFA Champions Badges. Until 2023, the annual FIFA Club World Cup format was the only global club competition in effect. With the official announcement of the details of the new quadrennial FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA's new prime club competition), the annual tournament became a secondary competition. After that:

Manchester City (2023 winners) were awarded the "FIFA World Champions 2023" badge.

Real Madrid (2024 winners) are awarded the "FIFA Intercontinental Champions 2024" badge.

Both badges were used simultaneously by Manchester City and Real Madrid, although they are the badges of the same competition. If the FIFA Intercontinental Cup format were the same historical lineage as the old annual format like the FIFA Club World Cup, Manchester City should have stopped displaying the "FIFA World Champions 2023" badge after Real Madrid won the following edition in 2024, which did not happen.

Additionally, the new format introduces a unique structure with its own independent trophies (such as the African-Asian-Pacific Cup, the Derby of the Americas, and the Challenger Cup), which further differentiates it from the 2000–2023 annual format.

For these reasons, a literal merge could lead to anachronisms and confuse the reader regarding the evolution of these tournaments. To preserve the distinct formats, it is more appropriate to separate articles:

Rename current FIFA Club World Cup to FIFA Club World Cup (2000–2023) or FIFA Club World Cup (former) or FIFA Club World Cup (formerly format): Covering the defunct annual format. ==>

Keep FIFA Intercontinental Cup (2024–present): Dedicated to new annual format.

Create new FIFA Club World Cup (2025–present): Dedicated to the new quadrennial prime club competition. Natan96-wiki (talk) 01:48, 21 December 2025 (UTC)

There cannot be 3 different articles. If we create a new article for the 2025–present World Cup, then the Intercontinental Cup and the current World Cup article needs to be merged, so in any case there would be only 2 articles. If we make big changes like that, then it needs to be done fully, not just partially - i.e., if FIFA counts 2025 World Cup as a new competition, then we need to also treat the Intercontinental Cup as the direct continuation of the old World Cup. Snowflake91 (talk) 10:57, 21 December 2025 (UTC)

Again, Wembley Stadium, I said before. The dilemmas led the situation to three articles.

1. FIFA does not recognise the old format as the predecessor of the current quadrennial format, the base we should not neglect.
2. FIFA considered the old format as the predecessor of FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
3. There is a lot of major dispute between the old FIFA Club World Cup and the new FIFA Club World Cup.
4. The inheritance of the old FIFA Club World Cup to the FIFA Intercontinental Cup is just a minor dispute.
5. The major dispute made the article not split.

So we should back to the base, should we split the article? You yet not replied. If so, we could start discussing three articles or two articles. If not, the discussion could not be commenced and you regard the old FIFA World Cup as the predecessor of the new one, which against the official approach. KyleRGiggs (talk) 14:17, 21 December 2025 (UTC)

The assertion that we are limited to only two articles does not reflect how Wikipedia handles significant shifts in a competition's hierarchy and status. A clear precedent is the English football league system: the Football League First Division was the top flight for over a century. When the Premier League was created in 1992 as the new premier tier, the First Division became the second tier. Eventually, in 2004, the First Division was rebranded as the EFL Championship, and a separate article was created for it. This three-article structure is necessary to accurately document the different roles those competitions played in the football pyramid.

We are facing an identical situation here. The annual FIFA Club World Cup (2000–2023) was, for over two decades, the sole and premier global club competition. With the 2024/2025 restructuring, the hierarchy has fundamentally changed:

- New flagship: the new quadrennial FIFA Club World Cup has taken over the name and the status as FIFA's new prime club competition.

- New annual tier: the FIFA Intercontinental Cup has been established as the annual format. While it maintains a high honor, it is no longer FIFA's "prime" global event, as that position now belongs to the quadrennial tournament.

Merging the 2000–2023 history into the Intercontinental Cup would be logically inconsistent for the reader. The 2000–2023 format was the "Tier 1" of its time. The Intercontinental Cup is a new "annual tier" that FIFA itself treats as a fresh start, explicitly calling the 2025 edition the "second edition" of the reformulated tournament.

Similarly, the case of Wembley Stadium, as mentioned by @KyleRGiggs, shows that even with physical or conceptual continuity, a new identity and structural restart justify separate articles to avoid confusing the reader. Natan96-wiki (talk) 16:22, 21 December 2025 (UTC)

The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is still FIFA's premier annual tournament in global club football. It's not the same as the Football League First Division becoming a second tier league, it's just an addition of a different tournament. I don't think it causes any confusion or misperception in that sense. What's confusing is the naming of the tournaments. Hazard1717 (talk) 18:00, 21 December 2025 (UTC)

The argument that the quadrennial tournament is just an "addition" ignores the fact that the original identity of the annual format was fundamentally altered. For 23 years, the annual competition held the exclusive identity of the FIFA Club World Cup. Now, that name and the status of "prime club competition" have been transferred to the quadrennial tournament that received exactly the same name in an annual format until 2023.

We can see this transition in how clubs are already updating their honors: Chelsea now lists their 2021 title as "FIFA Intercontinental Cup (formerly FIFA Club World Cup)", acknowledging the shift in lineage. Meanwhile, Manchester City (2023) still holds the title under the previous naming convention (FIFA Club World Cup). Merging these distinct eras into one article under the new name fails to capture this historical shift. Just as the EFL Championship (2004) required a new article to distinguish its new identity from the old First Division, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup's new branding and restarted lineage justify the same encyclopedic treatment. Natan96-wiki (talk) 18:59, 21 December 2025 (UTC)

Apart from the name, I don't see clear differences in prestige or status of the old FCWC and the new FIC. They have near identical qulification methods and serve the same purposes; crowning the annual club world champions.

The status of the FA Cup didn't change after the creation of the Football League, while the league could have been considered more important, the FA Cup was still the main cup competition of the country.

These situations are different from a first tier competition literally becoming a second tier competition. Hazard1717 (talk) 07:39, 22 December 2025 (UTC)

That's why I prefer to make into three articles instead of merging old format to the FIFA Club World Cup, as there is too much bias by multiple clubs. Whatever, the new format of FIFA Club World Cup is no longer a part of the old format is a very clear stance for FIFA, that's enough for the old format being split from the article. However, what Snowflake91 said is, the new format is a part of the old format, which makes the move cannot be executed. KyleRGiggs (talk) 02:34, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Snowflake91, I agree with you. If any changes are made, I believe that there cannot be 3 different articles, but only 2: new article with FIFA Club World Cup and another one by merging old FIFA Club World Cup with FIFA Intercontinental Cup. Almost all reliable sources go in two directions: 1. FIFA Club World Cup is a new competition and old FIFA Club World Cup has turned into FIFA Intercontinental Cup; 2. new FIFA Club World Cup and old FIFA Club World Cup are the same competition with the same name. I understand why a consensus wasn't reached six months ago, because there are reliable sources that state different informations, and it's normal to be hesitant to change the current article. I think that things need to be very clear when a change is desired, which is not the case here. Patagonia41 (talk) 23:38, 26 December 2025 (UTC)

Just more walls of text without any real indication of any solution or consensus, so this should be speedy closed. Discussed by the same 3 users (Hazard1717, Natan96-wiki, KyleRGiggs) which already wrote huge walls of text at the Talk:2025 FIFA Club World Cup less than 6 months ago without reaching any consensus, so why is another discussion needed now? Not to mention that the above discussion is completely pointless as you are discussing formats and which competition is "premier club competition", who CARES, it is not up to you to decide which competition is more important, it is not up to you to decide that just because the format is the same or similar, it is the same competition, so all thsoe walls of text are pointless. We simply use what the sources are saying, not what you think it would be logical.
So basically - if you want to follow FIFA reasoning, then you have to create a new article for 2025–present WC, but then you also have to follow FIFA reasoning and merge the current WC and the new IC competition, so no 3 articles in either case. Snowflake91 (talk) 10:50, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Lack of consensus is why the discussion is ongoing. I don't see people meeting a consensus on the articles being left where they currently are. The current articles contradict with the primary sources and other secondary sources that follow FIFA's reasoning. Yes, they were kind of inconsistent in the past when the new FCWC and FIC were about to be launched, and this was the reason that a lot of media and encyclopedias including wikipedia could not reach a consensus. However, FIFA are currently constantly showing us how they view their tournamants, and that's the reason for the near identical discussions being made again. They are now consistent on their branding stating that the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is the inaugural edition and that the FIFA Intercontinental Cup is a continuation of the old FIFA Club World Cup, so following that path is an adequate thing to do. The existence of a status change of the old FCWC and the FIC is a debatable topic(which I personally do not agree), but it's just a set of opinions, so I say the best way is to follow this proposal backed by the primary source FIFA. Hazard1717 (talk) 16:50, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

If you disagree, that's perfectly fine, it's your right. But dismissing this as a “pointless discussion” is a serious misjudgment.

I’ve cited official FIFA sources, pointed to the cases of the Manchester City and Real Madrid badges, and referenced the honors listed on the clubs’ own websites, all of which confirm that the annual tournament was formerly the FIFA Club World Cup. I also provided examples from Wikipedia itself, where separate articles exist for the same competition under different formats, a precedent further supported by @KyleRGiggs in the case of Wembley Stadium.

To ignore all of this and label the discussion as “pointless” is not only dismissive but also undermines the collaborative spirit of Wikipedia as a digital encyclopedia built on consensus and verifiable sources.

You’re entitled to disagree, that’s the nature of open dialogue. But asserting that the conversation itself lacks merit is disrespectful to the community and the editorial process. No single editor determines how articles are structured. It’s the community, through discussion and consensus, that makes those decisions.

Just because you want there to be only two articles doesn’t mean there will be two. That’s for the community to decide, not any one individual. Natan96-wiki (talk) 20:38, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Official club's websites are not indication of anything, they are primary sources and the clubs can treat their trophies however they want. And while Real website counts all their titles under "World Cup", the Chelsea website have renamed the 2021 trophy from WC to IC recently, which is obviously retrospectively wrong (and if they wouldn't have won the 2025 WC, they wouldn't change anything - it would still be 2021 FIFA WC, not IC). So which of those two biased, primary sources are you going to follow then, Real or Chelsea? Snowflake91 (talk) 21:05, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

I don't care about how Real or Chelsea or City treat, I am just talking about the stance of the organiser. That's why I am talking about splitting the article. The third time, Wembley Stadium and Wembley Stadium (1924). What is the meaning of retrospectively wrong? Did I said merging the CWC to the Intercontinental? KyleRGiggs (talk) 23:04, 23 December 2025 (UTC)

Real Madrid is viewing the old FCWC and FIC as the same along with the old IC, while Chelsea views the old FCWC and the new FCWC as different things, and apart from the name they are using they are both actually kind of on the same path with FIFA's view of annual club world championships and quadrennial ones. You have to understand that lots of clubs still use the name UEFA Cup, European Cup, European Super Cup, etc even though the names have changed, and this is not because of their biased interpretation on the competitions, but rather a lack of practical need to update it. Hazard1717 (talk) 03:49, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

As for the 'retrospectively wrong' part, Chelsea i sisting their honours as per FIFA, so in official FIFA terms, it is actually more right than wrong. Would you not call Aston Villa a UEFA Champions League winner because they won it before the name was changed? Hazard1717 (talk) 03:54, 24 December 2025 (UTC)

- In 2023, FIFA announced the FIFA Intercontinental Cup as an inaugural competition => FIFA Council confirms key details for FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ - key phrases: "FIFA Intercontinental Cup will be played annually from 2024" and "For the inaugural edition of the competition in 2024,"

- In the same article, FIFA itself states that the new FIFA Club World Cup is a "new premier club competition," with the full phrase being "First edition of the new premier FIFA club competition to be played from June 15 to July 13, 2025 in the United States."

- On the official website for the 2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup, the organizer itself states that Real Madrid was the first champion of the "new Intercontinental Cup" and that this marked "a new era" => Real Madrid beat Pachuca to win Intercontinental Cup

- And in 2025, the organizer itself announces the 2025 edition as the second edition instead of the 22nd edition. => Everything you need to know about the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2025™

Do you understand how the best approach is to split the FIFA Club World Cup article between the old annual format and the new quadrennial tournament instead of editing the article to only include texts up to 2023, merging the FIFA Intercontinental Cup and creating another FIFA Club World Cup?

Obviously, in the event of a split (if there is consensus), the article dedicated to the old annual format (2000-2023) should clearly describe that the tournament was renamed and continued as the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, as was done on the Portuguese Wikipedia. Natan96-wiki (talk) 18:34, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

Sports titles are never retroactively invalidated just because the tournament grows or changes format:

The UEFA Champions League (started as the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1955 with only 16 teams, invitation-only at first) still counts all winners as European champions, even though today's edition has 36+ teams, group stages, and massive expansion.

The FIFA World Cup itself had vastly different formats (e.g., 13 teams in 1930, no proper qualification for many editions, no third-place match in some eras) — yet no one suggests Uruguay 1930 or Italy 1934 are "lesser" world champions. JonathanHalen (talk) 21:33, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

The comparison to the FIFA World Cup is a false equivalence because that tournament maintains absolute chronological continuity. FIFA never reset the World Cup's edition count or created a parallel tournament to replace its previous format. In contrast, the current transition is a formal bifurcation where FIFA explicitly ended the 2000–2023 lineage to launch the "inaugural" FIFA Intercontinental Cup and the "first edition" of a "new prime" competition in 2025. This proposal follows encyclopedic standards, similar to the distinction between the Football League First Division/EFL Championship and the Premier League or the two Wembley Stadiums, reflecting that while titles remain same, the organizer has officially severed the historical lineage. Unlike the linear evolution of the FIFA World Cup or UEFA Champions League, FIFA’s decision to reset counts and extinguish the host nation slot constitutes a fundamental break that must be documented through separate articles to remain faithful to the primary source's own classification and to the readers. Natan96-wiki (talk) 19:51, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

titles and achievements are judged by the rules, format, and official status that existed at the time they were won — not retroactively downgraded because the competition later evolved. If we applied the logic of "the new bigger format makes old titles invalid", we would have to strip historical titles from dozens of major competitions. That would be inconsistent and ahistorical. JonathanHalen (talk) 21:38, 28 December 2025 (UTC)

My proposal is strictly an encyclopedic necessity to maintain taxonomic and chronological accuracy. This is not a suggestion to reclassify or invalidate past honors, but a requirement to follow the organizer’s official record. FIFA explicitly labels the 2024 Intercontinental Cup as "inaugural" and the 2025 Club World Cup as a "new prime" first edition, officially resetting the count and closing the previous 2000–2023 lineage. Furthermore, the structural rupture,including the extinction of the host nation slot and the reduction from 7 to 6 teams in the current annual format, proves that this is a bifurcation into new entities rather than a linear evolution, and an encyclopedia must reflect these official distinctions as defined by the primary source. Natan96-wiki (talk) 19:40, 29 December 2025 (UTC)

FIFA have also wrote about the history of the FIC including times when it was called the FIFA Club World they Championship and the FIFA Club World Cup. They also stated about Chelsea's 2021 title as a FIC title. FIFA have been using somewhat contradictory terms to describe their tournaments, and it just looks like you're cherry picking what's official. Hazard1717 (talk) 11:32, 30 December 2025 (UTC)

Labeling this as "cherry-picking" ignores the objective structural reset initiated by FIFA. While FIFA uses retrospective marketing to link past winners like Chelsea to the FIC brand, it simultaneously established a formal break by labeling 2024 as "inaugural" and 2025 as the "first edition" of a "new prime club competition." A three-article approach is the standard encyclopedic solution because it respects FIFA’s view of the old format as a conceptual precursor while accurately documenting the official reset in numbering and the transition of the "Club World Cup" name to a completely different tournament tier. This mirrors the treatment of the Football League First Division and the Premier League: they share a legacy, but are separated as distinct entities to ensure technical and chronological clarity for the reader. Natan96-wiki (talk) 18:49, 31 December 2025 (UTC)

Well, one could view FIFA's words about linkage of the FIC and the old CWC as a formal continuation, while viewing the labeling of the 2024 tournament as "inaugural" as a marketing strategy to promote the new competition. Hazard1717 (talk) 12:54, 1 January 2026 (UTC)

Dismissing official labels as a "marketing strategy" is a speculative interpretation, an encyclopedia must prioritize the organizer’s objective records, which have explicitly reset the edition counts for both the FIFA Intercontinental Cup (2025 as the 2nd edition) and the FIFA Club World Cup (2025 as the 1st edition of a new prime competition).

The current article is inherently confusing because it attempts to merge two entirely different tournament tiers simply because they share a name. The most logical and appropriate path forward to resolve this confusion is to first split the existing article into "FIFA Club World Cup (2000–2023)" and "FIFA Club World Cup" (dedicated specifically to the new quadrennial tournament). Following this separation, the community can then hold a focused, separate discussion regarding a potential merger of the 2000–2023 annual history with the FIFA Intercontinental Cup article.

This two-step process is the only way to maintain technical and statistical integrity while reflecting the structural rupture officially established by FIFA, including the extinction of the host nation slot and the reset of the historical lineage. I will not engage further with accusations of "cherry-picking" or subjective debates on marketing intent. While we may disagree on the interpretation, dismissing the technical merit of this structural necessity is not how a collaborative encyclopedia should proceed. This is my final position on the matter. Natan96-wiki (talk) 15:50, 1 January 2026 (UTC)

I understand your point of view and there are some logical things you brought up in the discussion that I can agree with. At this moment, I think it is almost impossible to reach a consensus among users, because both, the main FIFA source and the other secondary reliable sources are contradictory and ambiguous. At certain times, FIFA has said that the FIFA Intercontinental Cup is the continuation of the old FIFA Club World Cup competition, and at other times, they have stated the opposite, that they are separate competitions. Furthermore, numerous secondary sources add that the old FIFA Club World Cup is the same competition as the new FIFA Club World Cup, sharing the same name and treating the records cumulatively, and other secondary sources say the opposite. As long as the sources cannot agree on this matter, how can a consensus be reached? Patagonia41 (talk) 16:43, 1 January 2026 (UTC)

I agree, and that ambiguity is precisely why I believe a split is the most logical first step.

By separating the 2000–2023 former annual format from the 2025 quadrennial competition (Step 1), we organize the content based on clear structural and format differences, which are objective facts. This avoids getting stuck in the naming contradictions for now and provides immediate clarity to the reader.

Once the 2000–2023 era is in its own article, we can then have a focused discussion (Step 2) on its relationship with the FIFA Intercontinental Cup. It is easier to solve one problem at a time than to force a consensus on everything at once. Natan96-wiki (talk) 17:10, 1 January 2026 (UTC)

Regarding step 1, how do you think the articles should be named? FIFA Club World Cup (annual) and FIFA Club World Cup (quadrennial) or FIFA Club World Cup (2000, 2005-2023) and FIFA Club World Cup (2025-)? Even step 1 seems almost impossible to achieve, since there are secondary sources that combine the records from the old CWC competition and the new CWC competition: worldfootball.net (https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co1235/records-all-time-table/), iffhs.com (https://iffhs.com/posts/4498). I understand both those who agree and those who disagree. The most important thing is for the truth to prevail, not our personal opinions, which can be subjective and wrong. If there is respect and understanding between us, I believe that future solutions will also be found. Patagonia41 (talk) 18:25, 1 January 2026 (UTC)

Regarding Step 1, I offered naming options such as FIFA Club World Cup (2000–2023), FIFA Club World Cup (former), or FIFA Club World Cup (formerly format), but these are just possibilities. The final choice rests entirely with the community; the priority is reaching a consensus on the structure itself. The quadriennal competition remains simply FIFA Club World Cup as the current brand holder.

This organization is standard practice, as seen in:

Intercontinental Cup (1960-2004)

Champions Hockey League (2008–09) and Champions Hockey League (2014–present).

Football League First Division / Premier League / EFL Championship. ==> Manchester City F.C.#Honours

Wembley Stadium (1923) and Wembley Stadium (2007-).

Statistical records can be grouped logically to reflect the technical lineage officially set by FIFA:

FIFA Club World Cup: 1 (2025)

FIFA Intercontinental Cup / FIFA Club World Cup (2000-2023 / former / formerly format): 1 (2021) ==> Chelsea | Men's trophy cabinet

The goal is not to impose a single name, but to provide a technical solution to the current confusion. By separating the defunct annual format from the new quadrennial tournament, we respect FIFA's official reset while preserving history. If the community agrees on the split, we can then collaboratively decide which naming convention best serves the reader. Natan96-wiki (talk) 23:21, 1 January 2026 (UTC)

So are you saying that referring to past winners of the CWC as FIC winners is just for marketing, while labeling 2024 as inaugural is an official break? You are actually picking what's official and what's not. FIFA have been inconsistent in their branding for the last few years, and while separation of the old and new CWC is very clear in FIFA's current branding, distinction of the old CWC and the FIC is not. I totally agree that the separation should be done, and I'm not entirely against keeping three articles. However, I just don't agree with your view where a piece of information from a FIFA article is official, while another piece from the same article is not. Hazard1717 (talk) 17:12, 1 January 2026 (UTC)

I agree with you, but at this moment, I think it is almost impossible to reach a consensus among users, because both, the main FIFA source and the other secondary reliable sources are contradictory and ambiguous. A telling example would be this article published by FIFA on 11 September 2025 regarding 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup (https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/mens/intercontinentalcup/2025/articles/intercontinental-cup-2025-everything-you-need-to-know): „The second edition of the new-look FIFA Intercontinental Cup™ will take place from September to December 2025” and then a little further down „Since it was first launched – as the FIFA Club World Championship in 2000 – the FIFA Intercontinental Cup has evolved to become the premier annual tournament in global club football; The first edition of the then FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil and featured eight teams from six confederations; The tournament ran in parallel with the Intercontinental Cup, which had been contested by the champions of CONMEBOL and UEFA since 1960; After a pause between 2001 and 2004, when the Intercontinental Cup was played, it returned in 2005 as the FIFA Club World Cup and continued to grow in reach, stature and reputation, as the best of the best from every continent competed on the global stage”.

Within a single article published by FIFA, there is contradictory informations and leaves room for interpretation: „In 2024, the tournament entered a new phase of evolution with the establishment of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, with winners from each of the six confederations given the chance to compete on the global stage on an annual basis”.

What means new phase of evolution? New competition or maybe old FIFA Club World Cup with a new format?

And at the very bottom, FIFA ends the article with this sentence: „In front of almost 70,000 fans at Qatar's iconic Lusail Stadium, Real Madrid downed Pachuca to win the first edition of the new-look tournament in December 2024”. Patagonia41 (talk) 17:45, 1 January 2026 (UTC)

The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is a new competition and is independent of whatever is decided regarding the FIFA Club World Cup. Svartner (talk) 06:52, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

We should simply do the same as RSSSF, which treats the 2025 CWC as the same competition, but IC is listed in a different section.

FIFA Club World Cup

2023 Manchester City

2025 Chelsea

FIFA Intercontinental Cup

2024 Real Madrid

So it should stay like that until 2029, and then we can see how will media / FIFA call the tournament, the 2nd edition, the 2nd winners etc...there is not rush to make changes as many sources right now are conflicting and contradictory, so any further discussion regarding those articles is pointless right now. Snowflake91 (talk) 10:53, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

I share the same opinion. Considering that both the primary source and the secondary sources provide contradictory information, the best solution is to wait a little longer and not rush into making changes. I believe that changes can only be made when the informations are clear. Patagonia41 (talk) 12:03, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

It's not necessary to wait until 2029 to confirm this, as FIFA itself has already considered Chelsea as the first champion of the new tournament. ==> FIFA | Chelsea won major honours for the first time after securing the inaugural Club World Cup

It is more than obvious that the event that ended in July 2025 is the inaugural edition of a new competition that bears the name that was already used in the annual FIFA competition (FIFA Club World Cup).

You recognize that the FIFA Intercontinental Cup is a new entity, even FIFA itself recognizes that the format of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup is a new era, restarting the count of editions from the new format that began in 2024.

There is no problem with having two articles for the same tournament, this already happens with the Football League First Division which was renamed in 2004 to EFL Championship and they continue in separate articles. There are also precedents for the Champions Hockey League, which had a separate edition of another tournament with the same name between 2008-2009 and is found in separate articles with the same unambiguous name Champions Hockey League (2008-09), as well as Intercontinental Cup (1960-2004) and Wembley Stadium (1923) / Wembley Stadium.

Therefore, if you want the most historically accurate Wikipedia, respecting primary sources and the reality of the facts, the best option is to maintain it in 3 articles:

FIFA Club World Cup: the new club competition that started in 2025 and will be played every 4 years;

FIFA Club World Cup (2000-2023): the former format of the annual FIFA club competition when it was the prime global club competition until 2023;

FIFA Intercontinental Cup: the format of the annual FIFA club competition that started in 2024.

I will respect the community's decision if the consensus is to make no changes at this time. I have done my part by sharing this perspective, and my only intention is to help ensure the encyclopedia remains technically accurate and aligned with official records and the reality of the facts. I apologize for any inconvenience my persistence may have caused. Thank you. Natan96-wiki (talk) 18:04, 5 January 2026 (UTC)

FIFA, the organizers, and many reliable secondary sources state that the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is the inaugural edition. What more is needed? You all know that a perfect consensus on all the media cannot happen. The 2025 competition differs with previous editions of the old Club World Cup in almost every factor except for the name, and the readers understanding of the competitions will be better off when the articles are divided.

While I viewed the FIFA Intercontinental Cup as a continuation of the old FIFA Club World Cup, I learned that others could think differently, even after reading the same FIFA articles because of the contradicting terms used. So I guess the merging part should be put on hold for now. Hazard1717 (talk) 12:33, 7 January 2026 (UTC)

"2033 FIFA Club World Cup" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect 2033 FIFA Club World Cup has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2026 January 1 § 2033 FIFA Club World Cup until a consensus is reached. A1Cafel (talk) 03:33, 1 January 2026 (UTC)