FIFA found itself at the center of a controversy on Wednesday (18/06). Earlier, the entity published a profile of the teams that compete in the World Cup and in it, considered intercontinental competitions of various clubs, including the 1950s Rio Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the Club World Cup.
However, after the negative repercussion, the entity made a drastic decision, take the pages out of the air profiles.
According to the magazine “Placar”, the FIFA did not officially recognize the Rio 1951 and 1952 cups, won by Palmeiras and Fluminenseas some fans suggested on social networks. The confusion came after these teams were listed under the name “Inter-Confederation Cup”, which rekindled an old controversy in Brazilian football.
The repercussion of the case in Brazil caused a great discomfort for FIFA. The content, prepared by a distinct team from the official responsible for the event, was removed from the air and must be corrected. Representatives of the entity in the United States tried to avoid commenting on the matter.
Officially, FIFA continues to maintain the decision announced in October 2017: only recognizes as world champions the clubs that won the Intercontinental Cup (from 1960 to 2004) and those who won the FIFA Club World Cup.
FIFA FIFA removes the World Cup report from Clubs from the site after controversy in Brazil. The entity maintains a decision of 2017, recognizing champions of the Intercontinental Cup (1960-2004) and club worlds as world champions.
🗞️ [@placar] pic.twitter.com/307VkqHDe1
– Goals of the Brasileirão ⚽️🇧🇷 (@goalsdobrasil1) June 18, 2025
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What is the Rio Cup?
The Rio Cup was created for the purpose of electing the world champion among clubs from various continents. The tournament took place only twice: in 1951, with the title staying with Palmeiras, and in 1952, when Fluminense came out. Both editions were supported by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, which acted with the costs of lodging and logistics to attract teams from Europe and South America.
In 1951, Palmeiras represented Brazil alongside Vasco. With the absence of Milan and Barcelona, Juventus, Nice and Austria Vienna were included in the tournament, which also featured National, Red Star, Sporting, among others.
Why is Palmeiras not considered world champion?
On the official website of Palmeiras, there is the information that the team from São Paulo was the first to win the inaugural edition of the Interclub World Cup in 1951.
The globalization of football required more inclusive tournaments among continents, culminating in the 2000 Interclub World Cup in Japan. With the title of Corinthians, Palmeiras began to claim the conquest of 1951 to FIFA.
In search of validation, Palmeiras presented a dossier and, in a meeting of the FIFA Executive Committee in São Paulo, the Rio Cup was recognized in minutes as the first intercontinental club competition. The minutes were sent to the agency in Switzerland and declared by the General Secretariat as valid recognition.
However, after the scandal that overthrew Joseph Blatter and Jérôme Valcke, Gianni Infantino, advised by FIFA’s legal department, decided not to formalize recognition, not to create precedents that would allow any tournament to self -proclaim worldwide.
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Why is Fluminense not considered world champion?
During the 2023 Club World Cup dispute, Fluminense leaders met with FIFA representatives to present a dossier and reinforce the 1952 Rio Cup recognition as a world title. The document was personally delivered to the entity’s president, Gianni Infantino, but there was no formal response yet.
The CBF supports the claim because the tournament received at the time the seal of important FIFA leaders such as Jules Rimet, Stanley Rous and Ottorino Barassi. They would have recognized the Rio Cup as a worldwide championship, because of the format and presence of prominent clubs from different continents.
Another argument cited is the coverage of the national and international press, which dealt with the Rio Cup as a tournament equivalent to the Club World Cup of the time.
List of teams with world titles recognized by FIFA
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Real Madrid (Spain) – 9 titles (1960, 1998, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024)
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Milan (Italy) – 4 titles (1969, 1989, 1990, 2007)
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Bayern Munich (Germany) – 4 titles (1976, 2001, 2013, 2020)
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Peñarol (Uruguai) – 3 titles (1961, 1966, 1982)
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National (Uruguay) – 3 titles (1971, 1980, 1988)
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Boca Juniors (Argentina) – 3 titles (1977, 2000, 2003)
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São Paulo (Brazil) – 3 titles (1992, 1993, 2005)
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International (itália) – 3 titles (1964, 1965, 2010)
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Barcelona (Spain) – 3 titles (2009, 2011, 2015)
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Santos (Brazil) – 2 titles (1962, 1963)
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Independent (Argentina) – 2 titles (1973, 1984)
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AJAX (Netherlands) – 2 titles (1972, 1995)
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Juventus (Italy) – 2 titles (1985, 1996)
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Porto (Portugal) – 2 titles (1987, 2004)
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Manchester United (Inglaterra) – 2 titles (1999, 2008)
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Corinthians (Brazil) – 2 titles (2000, 2012)
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Racing (Argentina) – 1 title (1967)
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Students (Argentina) – 1 title (1968)
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Feyenoord (Netherlands) – 1 title (1970)
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Atletico de Madrid (Spain) – 1 title (1974)
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Olimpia (Paraguay) – 1 title (1979)
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Flamengo (Brazil) – 1 title (1981)
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Grêmio (Brazil) – 1 title (1983)
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River Plate (Argentina) – 1 title (1986)
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Red Star (Yugoslavia) – 1 title (1991)
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Vélez Sarsfield (Argentina) – 1 title (1994)
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Borussia Dortmund (Germany) – 1 title (1997)
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International (Brazil) – 1 title (2006)
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Liverpool (England) – 1 title (2019)
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Chelsea (England) – 1 title (2021)
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Manchester City (Inglaterra) – 1 title (2023)
