The 2025 Club World Cup will be joined by a number of star players from PSG, Manchester City and Real Madrid but will have a notable list of absentees.
FIFA begins this Saturday, June 14, its first edition of the Club World Cup with 32 teams.
Mirroring the format that the World Cup implemented from 1998 to 2022; however some top players will miss the event because of complicated qualification rules.
Three of the current champions of the five major leagues in Europe, FC Barcelona, Liverpool and Napoli, will be missing the competition.
Here is the list of key players who will not be participating in the US tournament.
Lamine Yamal
The Blaugrana's player Lamine Yamal, currently the best footballer in the world, is leading the list of major absentees in the World Cup.
Lamine completed a spectacular end to the season with FC Barcelona, scoring in three of the last four matchdays of La Liga.
As the squad needs their rest, Hansi Flick's other players, including Pedri, Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, Raphinha, Jules Kounde and Pau Cubarsi, will also not compete in the US.
Neymar
Neymar missed his chance to participate in the Club World Cup, as he left Al Hilal for his hometown club Santos in January.
Raphinha
The Brazilian footballer made his name in Barcelona after moving from Leeds United in the summer of 2022.
With 34 goals and 25 assists in all competitions, Raphinha has made himself a leading contender for the Ballon d'Or; however he will not be competing in the Club World Cup.
Mohamed Salah
Barca's absentees will be joined by Liverpool, as the current English champion failed to qualify after losing the Champions League final in 2022 against Real Madrid.
This means that Salah won't be playing in the United States this summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The Club World Cup will also miss the sporting world legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who won the Nations League with Portugal but could not qualify for the World Cup with the Saudi Al Nassr.
Other English footballers who will be absent includes Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Alexander Isak (Newcastle), and Bukayo Saka (Arsenal).
