The dream is over for Club León. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne has ruled against the appeals filed by León, Pachuca, and Liga Deportiva Alajuelense regarding their exclusion from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The verdict confirms that the Mexican club will not take part in the competition.

Final Verdict: León Is Out

In a statement, CAS determined that both Pachuca and León violated Article 10.1 of FIFA’s Club World Cup Regulations concerning multiple ownership of clubs. Despite León’s attempts to use a trust fund to separate its management structure, the panel found it insufficient.

"The CAS panel dismissed all three appeals and ruled that Pachuca and Club León failed to meet the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 regulations. The evidence, including the trust created for León, was not enough to comply with FIFA rules," read the CAS statement.

FIFA initially removed León from the tournament on March 21, 2025, citing violations of the tournament’s anti-multiplicity rule. León then submitted two appeals to CAS—one initiated by Alajuelense, who claimed the right to the vacated slot, and the other filed jointly with Pachuca.

Both were rejected.

León Issues Statement on the Decision

In an emotional public letter, Club León expressed its disappointment:
"This fight was never about power or money. We fought to be there because glory is earned on the pitch. Our players and fans deserved better. Our honor has been tarnished by a process that lacked fairness from the beginning."

The club emphasized that while money and time may come and go, "honor cannot be touched." They vowed to come back stronger and reclaim their place through victories on the field.

A replacement for León at the Club World Cup will be appointed by FIFA, but the team hopes the values of the game will be upheld in that decision.

"We’ll be back," León concluded defiantly.