The 2025 Club World Cup will feature 32 teams, making the format similar to the ongoing soccer World Cup, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said on Friday.

He said the tournament, which currently involves seven teams, would be held every four years and would boost revenues for the global sports body further.

Currently, the top teams of every continental competition as well as the hosts’ national champion battle it out for the Club World Cup title.

He said Fifa expected revenues of $11 billion for the four-year period between 2022 and 2026 but that did not include the new Club World Cup format in 2025.

“This 11 billion figure is without the Club World Cup (in 2025). At the end of the four years, we will make even more revenue,” Infantino told a news conference.

Infantino also said that the 2022 Club World Cup, traditionally held in December but delayed this year due to the ongoing World Cup in Qatar, will be hosted by Morocco between February 1-11, 2023, with Real Madrid, Flamengo and Seattle Sounders, the CONCACAF champions from the US, among the participants.

The decision was taken by the Fifa council following its meeting on Friday.

Free from politics

The Qatar World Cup kept political messaging away from the football so that fans could enjoy “a little moment of pleasure and joy”, Infantino said on Friday.

Speaking two days before the final between Argentina and France, Infantino defended Fifa’s decision not to allow teams to display any messages on their shirts or team captains’ armbands.

“Maybe everyone has his own problems. They (fans) just want to spend 90 minutes or 100 minutes or 120 minutes with penalties without having to think about anything else. Just enjoying a little moment of pleasure and joy, of emotions,” Infantino said on Friday. “We have to give these people a moment in time where they can forget their problems and enjoy football. Outside of the match everybody can express their views and opinions.”