• Real Madrid are favorites to win the competition for a tenth time in a row.
• Gianni Infantino has announced plans for an expanded tournament.
• The larger competition would include 32 teams and begin in 2025.

Real Madrid will be the favorites to continue Europe’s dominance of the famed FIFA title as one of the final Club World Cups in its current format gets underway on Wednesday.

The expanded Club World Cup will begin in 2025, FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated on the sidelines of the World Cup in Qatar in December.

The larger competition, which would include 32 teams, has long been Infantino’s contentious pet project. Eight European teams were scheduled to compete in a 24-team Club World Cup that was scheduled to be held in China in 2021 but was postponed owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

The governing body of world football has not yet provided any additional information about the plans, but the international players’ union FIFPro has already expressed its displeasure with Infantino for making the news “unilaterally without seriously consulting…with the players.”

With just seven teams remaining, including the six continental champions, the Club World Cup is currently limping along.

Real is predicted to win the competition for the tenth time in a row for Europe after five consecutive editions in the Middle East. The event will be held in Morocco, where it was held in 2013 and 2014.

The current European champions Real have won the championship four times, including in Morocco in 2014.

The CONCACAF champion Seattle Sounders, the Egyptian powerhouse Al Ahly, or the Oceania champion Auckland City of New Zealand will all face Real in the semi-finals on February 8 in Rabat.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team will play in the final on February 11 if they triumph.

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