What if Stade Toulousain became… world champion? The question legitimately arises when the rumor of a Club World Cup in 2025 resurfaces. According to the British daily newspaper The Telegraph, the competition would be between eight teams from the northern hemisphere, one Japanese club and seven teams from the south.
As far as Stade Toulousain and therefore the northern hemisphere are concerned, they will have to finish in the top eight at the end of the group stage of the Champions Cup. You can also read that “this qualification will be based solely on sporting performance since there will be no compulsory national representation”. According to the National Rugby League, if qualification is based on sporting meritthen it would be “impossible therefore to say today which French clubs will participate in the competition”.
Nothing is recorded but it is on the right track, it is necessary that all the championships and the authorities come to an agreement – Ligue Nationale de Rugby
An already busy schedule
Adding a Club World Cup every four years would come automatically load the calendar of French clubs. In a club as ambitious as Stade Toulousain, one cannot imagine the headache that this world event would bring. Between two editions of the Champions Cup, the November test matches and the Top 14, weeks of recovery are likely to be rarealthough we should learn more about “an adjustment of the calendar when the time comes” according to the NRL.
A legal, financial and sporting agreement is still missing for this competition to see the light of day – Ligue Nationale de Rugby
According to initial information, this Club World Cup would replace the final stages of the European Cup every four yearsin order to avoid overloading the calendar, which is already very heavy for the players’ organisations.
“The challenge of this Club World Cup is purely economic”
Behind the sporting aspect of this international competition, the objective is also financial. Despite calls for tenders from EPCR (the governing body and organizer of Europe’s two biggest club rugby competitions), the Champions Cup has still not found a broadcaster for the 2022-2026 period. According to our consultant and Stade Toulousain specialist Philippe Gleyze, this competition would boost the attractiveness of rugby: “We want to revitalize rugby on TV. We have to think about the economic impact of this Club World Cup. Clearly, when I see that we still don’t know the broadcaster, that leaves no doubt behind the economic objective of this competition.
According to the NRL, no date has yet been set on the official announcement. However, it would only be a matter of time: “there is little chance that we will learn more about the position of the clubs and above all, about the position of World Rugby (the international organization which manages rugby union and rugby sevens) in the coming days But we would not be surprised to have a general communication by the end of August or at the beginning of September”.
Stade Toulousain did not wish to comment to date. The professional group returns to training this Monday, July 25.