The American team will replace León in Group D, which was disqualified for violating the multi-ownership policy
With the start of the competition just around the corner, last Saturday it was decided who would fill the vacant spot. FIFA determined that the spot corresponding to CONCACAF would be decided in a match between LAFC, runner-up of the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League after losing to León, and América, the highest-ranked club in the region. In a thrilling match held in Los Angeles, LAFC prevailed in extra time and secured its place in the 2025 Club World Cup.
América opened the scoring 20 minutes into the second half thanks to a penalty converted by Brian Rodríguez, but Igor Jesús equalized the match at 44 minutes. In extra time, Denis Bouanga appeared 10 minutes into the second extra period to score the decisive goal that sealed LAFC's qualification.
The revamped world tournament will kick off on Saturday, June 14 with the match between Inter Miami and Al-Ahly of Egypt at 21:00, Argentina time. Meanwhile, the Argentine teams will make their debut a few days later. Boca will be the first to take the field in its match against Benfica on the 16th at 19:00, while River will do the same against Urawa Red Diamonds on the 17th at 16:00.
Los Angeles FC secured the last ticket to the 2025 Club World Cup after defeating América de México in the play-off. This match was played due to the disqualification of León, who violated the multi-ownership rule by belonging to the same group as another tournament participant, Pachuca.
A few weeks ago, FIFA made this decision, despite the fact that the draw had already taken place and León had been placed in Group D alongside Flamengo, Chelsea, and Esperance de Tunisia. This way, James Rodríguez's team was left out of the competition.
