The British newspaper "The Times" reported that the upcoming Club World Cup may see the participation of three English clubs instead of two, following FIFA's move to ease the restrictions on the maximum number of clubs allowed from each country.

The newspaper indicated that this step comes after the criticisms directed at the first edition of the tournament with 32 teams held this summer in the United States, which was absent from champions of major leagues such as Liverpool, the English champion, Barcelona, the Spanish champion, and Napoli, the Italian champion.

The last edition witnessed Chelsea being crowned champion in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump, while Manchester City participated but was eliminated in the Round of 16 after losing to Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal.

The newspaper confirmed that UEFA does not oppose raising the number of participating clubs from each country to three, but it objects to any attempt to hold the tournament every two years instead of every four years, or to expand it to include 48 teams instead of 32.