Because they were not allowed to play in the new, bigger Club World Cup, Liverpool and Manchester United missed out on a possible £50 million payday.

The rules for the 12 European teams that will be able to compete in the 32-team event in the USA in 2025 were released by FIFA.

3Liverpool have missed out on the lucrative new eventCredit: PA3Man Utd are also set to be denied a huge paydayCredit: AP

Manchester City and Chelsea have already secured their spots in the most valuable club football event ever, worth more than £1 billion, thanks to their wins in the Champions League in 2021 and 2018.

But Liverpool and United are NO LONGER in the running. Arsenal, on the other hand, could still get a spot.

The idea that each country could only have two spots unless they had more continental champions was backed by Fifa’s governing Council, which included FA chair Debbie Hewitt.

There are eight more European spots available based on coefficient points won only in Uefa’s senior competition over the four campaigns. These are in addition to the spots for the winners of the Champions League between 2021 and now.

There can only be two English teams, though, unless Arsenal wins the Champions League for the first time in June’s final at Wembley. This is especially bad for Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp’s team is currently ranked fourth in Europe and would have made it because of how well they’ve done in the Champions League over the last three seasons.

Fifa’s original plan only let each country have one rating place, so Liverpool was sure to get in.

The Council, including Hewitt, voted in favor of the plan and the times for the tournament, which will run from June 15 to July 13. This took away their right to do that. 

United was only able to hold on to a spot because of the rankings, but they will probably be passed by the end of the season.

The Fifa decision, on the other hand, ended United’s last chance to play. This means that teams like Juventus can now enter, even though they are not in Europe this season.

Because of the choice, EIGHT clubs have already secured their spots. City, Chelsea, and Real Madrid all got in because they won the Champions League.

Along with them will be PSG, Inter Milan, Porto, and Benfica.

Arsenal, Real Sociedad, PSV Eindhoven, and Copenhagen, who are considered outsiders, can only make it if they win the Champions League.

This season, though, at least three spots can be locked up during the knockout stage. If City or Madrid win at Wembley, that number rises to four.

Even though Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid are in first place, Leipzig and Barcelona could still catch up to them. Napoli or Lazio could also catch up to Juventus.

If City or Real Madrid win the Champions League, Salzburg from Austria will make it.

The 32 teams will play in eight groups of four, with the top two teams from each group moving on to the knockout round. This is how the World Cup has always been set up.

Every club will have three days off between games, and there will be 63 games in total, with no third-place game.

After the meeting, Gianni Infantino, President of Fifa, said, “Clubs are very important to world football, and the Fifa Club World Cup 2025 will be a big step forward in giving clubs from all over the world a chance to shine at the highest level.”

“This is going to be an open competition based on sportsmanship. It will be a key part of our efforts to make the game truly global.”

A new “Fifa Intercontinental Cup” was also revealed by FIFA. It will be played every season, with the winner of the Champions League playing the winner of a series of one-off games between the winners of the other five continental cups for the trophy. The Final will be held on neutral ground.