After losing to Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 on Wednesday, Real Madrid will not have the opportunity to finish in third place at this summer’s redesigned Club World Cup, unlike in the international edition. With two goals from Fabian Ruiz and one apiece from Ousmane Dembele and Goncalo Ramos, Xabi Alonso’s team was reduced to black and blue at MetLife Stadium, demonstrating that the Champions League champions are still serious about their business.
After the Blues advanced with a 2-0 victory over Brazilian team Fluminense on Tuesday, where new acquisition Joao Pedro scored both goals, the French powerhouses will now play Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea in the final. Los Blancos will soon start their preseason since they are coming home without even participating in a third-place game.
Losing semi-finalists typically compete in a third-place playoff to decide the bronze medallist and increase their prize money in large competitions like the World Cup. But now that Real Madrid is returning home and aiming for a better season than their last one, in which they missed out on every significant award available to them, the decision to leave that match out of the Club World Cup has been explained.
Why There’s No Third-Place Playoff at Club World Cup
FIFA have provided an explanation
“There will be no third-place match or bronze final at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025,” the organization stated in a statement published on the official FIFA website.
“For the inaugural edition of this elite global competition, FIFA decided not to include this match to ensure that clubs and players who do not make the final can transition to their next commitments as soon as possible.”
Real Madrid will no longer be eligible to win the £125 million prize money in the final next week as a result of their loss. They made it to the last four, yet they still rank among the competition’s top earners. There is no monetary difference between placing third or fourth because all four semi-finalists received the same compensation for reaching that level of the main event, according to BeIN Sports.
Xabi Alonso will be focused on getting Real Madrid back on track as soon as possible when he returns to the Spanish capital next week, with a goal of winning a trophy the following season. The pressure is on for a prompt response after losing to rivals Barcelona in all domestic competitions and losing to Manchester City in the Champions League Round of 16 last time around.
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