To qualify for the Club World Cup, clubs mainly qualify by winning their respective continental club competitions (e.g., UEFA Champions League in Europe, Copa Libertadores in South America, AFC Champions League in Asia, CAF Champions League in Africa, CONCACAF Champions League in North America, and OFC Champions League in Oceania) during a designated qualifying period, generally covering the four most recent seasons. Each continental champion is guaranteed a spot. Besides the continental champions, additional clubs can qualify based on their performance rankings in their continental competitions over the qualification period. For example, UEFA has 12 slots with Champions League winners plus the next highest-ranked teams, but no more than two clubs per country qualify unless there are multiple different Champions League winners from the same country. Similar ranking systems with points awarded for wins, draws, and progressing stages are applied by other confederations. The qualification structure for the expanded 32-team tournament involves:
- Continental champions from the past four seasons automatically qualify.
- Additional clubs qualify based on a club ranking system over the qualification period.
- Confédération-specific slot allocations exist, with Europe's UEFA having the most slots (12), followed by South America's CONMEBOL (6), and 4 slots each for Asia (AFC), Africa (CAF), and North America (CONCACAF), plus 1 slot for Oceania (OFC).
- Maximum two clubs from the same country can qualify through the ranking route, but this limit does not apply to continental champions.
This system was employed for the 2025 and upcoming Club World Cup editions, including how teams like Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain qualified.
