If you watched reigning Concacaf Champions League winners CF Monterrey put a scare into Liverpool last week during their FIFA Club World Cup semifinal, you may have found yourself wondering how an MLS side would've fared against the famed European giants.
We may soon find out.
Beginning in the summer of 2021, the Club World Cup is set to become a 24-team, quadrennial tournament, replacing the current six-team annual version that is being contested in Qatar.
Concacaf will be allotted 3 berths in the tournament, with the requirement that no more than two go to the same country, leaving the likelihood that Liga MX and MLS teams will represent the federation together.
The tournament will be held from June 17 to July 4 of 2021 in China, with teams split into eight groups of three for round-robin play. The eight group winners will advance to the knockout phase of the competition.
The current format of the tournament will still be played in 2020, with the winner of the upcoming 2020 Concacaf Champions League to represent the federation. That means there's still a chance for Atlanta United, LAFC, the Montreal Impact, New York City FC and the Seattle Sounders to become the first MLS clubs to reach the Club World Cup before the field expands.
