The countdown has begun. There is less than a month to go before the start of the first ever Club World Cup under the new FIFA format, with 32 participants, the same structure as a World Cup for national teams, with three group stage matches and knockout rounds for the top two teams from each group from the round of 16 onwards. And the first date to mark on your calendar is not the start (the 14th, by the way), but the date on which the exceptional transfer window opened by FIFA to allow participating clubs to strengthen their squads closes.
Real Madrid, Club World Cup target
Real Madrid has taken this new FIFA tournament, which will crown the best club in the world, very seriously. The Whites, who are coming off a victory in the last Club World Cup under the now defunct four-team format, will seek to be the first to etch their name in a tournament that has just been born but looks set to grow in importance as the years go by. As was the case with the birth of the European Cup, Real Madrid wants to be the first team to add its name to this new international trophy.
And for the Whites, there are no excuses; anything less than victory will be seen as a minor failure. There will be no excuse for Xabi Alonso not having had time to plan, nor will it be any use looking at the season that has not yet ended, with the team second in La Liga and knocked out of the quarter-finals by Arsenal. Nor will there be any excuse for the numerous injuries that have occurred during the year, among other things because reinforcements have already arrived and there are still some to come.
Reinforcements for Xabi Alonso
Real Madrid has looked (and continues to look) to the market to strengthen the squad ahead of this new Club World Cup, and has prioritized the needs of the team, the defense, which has been so hampered by injuries in this season that is still to be completed. Dean Huijsen has been the first confirmed reinforcement, necessary so that Asencio is not alone at the back, pending the recovery of Rudiger, who should not be 100% fit. The second has been Alexander-Arnold, also needed for the right-back position, given the poor performance of Lucas Vázquez, who is in his final days with the club, and with Carvajal who could make it to the World Cup but will be light years away from his best form.
However, more players are expected to arrive ahead of the eagerly awaited event. The left back is the Whites’ last priority, with negotiations underway with Álvaro Carreras, but Benfica are holding firm (they are also participating in the tournament) and are taking the negotiations to extremes. The possibility of signing a central midfielder has not been ruled out, but everything indicates that these tasks will be left for July or early August. There is still a long summer ahead, and signing players for the World Cup is more expensive.
When does the transfer window close?
FIFA has set up two transfer windows for the upcoming Club World Cup. The first one closes on June 10, just a week from now. That’s how long Florentino Pérez and the board have to finalize the last signings for the tournament.
But once the group stage is over, FIFA will open a second window for the final stretch. This new window will be open from June 27 to July 3, which coincides with the date when some players’ contracts with their current clubs expire, meaning they could sign with a team participating in the tournament and be registered (an option that Real Madrid considered with Alexander-Arnold).
Time continues to tick away and the Whites continue to work to finalize their last signings ahead of the World Cup, with the aim of boosting the squad’s chances of lifting the trophy in the United States.