Liverpool will not play in the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019 regardless of the result against Tottenham in Madrid.
In years gone by, the winners of the Champions League have entered the tournament played in the winter of the same year.
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Real Madrid are the current title holders having beaten Liverpool to win the European Cup in Kiev before winning the tournament with a 4-1 victory over Arab outfit Al Ain in Abu Dhabi in December.
But sweeping changes to the tournament mean that it will not take place in 2019, with FIFA seeing proposals for a four-yearly competition green lit in March.
The 24-team tournament is set to first take place in 2021, with Liverpool reportedly one of eight European sides already invited to take part.
The competition will run from June to July in the slot currently used for the international tournament, the Confederations Cup, which has been scrapped.
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FIFA president Gianni Infantino expressed his delight that the tournament was given the green light and hopes that the Club World Cup will now be taken more seriously by Europe's elite.
However, confusion reigns over exactly which European clubs will take part in the tournament after the European Club Association, of which Liverpool is a member, released a statement saying that clubs would boycott the tournament.
According to the BBC, a letter signed by members including Manchester United read: We are firmly against any potential approval of a revised CWC – no ECA clubs would take part.”
Included in the tournament would be six teams from South America, three each from Africa, Asia and North and Central America and one from Oceania.
And the BBC reports that each club could be awarded £50m just for taking part. That figure could rise to as much as £100m should clubs progress in the tournament.
According to a report in The Times last year – before Liverpool even played Real in the Champions League final – the Reds were among the first invitees, along with Man United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Juventus and Inter Milan.
Although reports later stated that the European clubs invited would be the Champions League winners, Champions League runners-up and Europa League winners from the four seasons up to and including the year of the event.
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Liverpool have never won the Club World Cup, losing 1-0 to Sao Paulo in Japan in 2005, as well as losing the Intercontinental Cup final 3-0 to Flamengo in 1981.
(LiverpoolEcho)
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
