On Wednesday, FIFA announced that the 20 member federations of the 32 clubs set to compete in the first-ever FIFA Club World Cup have approved an exceptional registration period.
From June 1 to June 10, clubs will be allowed to register new players for participation in the tournament—without any cap on the number of signings.
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino
FIFA via Getty Images
Contrary to popular belief, this 10-day window is not exclusive to the clubs taking part in the competition.
It will be open to all professional clubs in the 20 countries whose federations approved the measure.
This means that in Spain, for example, not only Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid (who are set to participate) but all professional clubs will be permitted to register new players during this period.
Whether or not clubs will take advantage of this window remains to be seen, especially given that most domestic competitions have already concluded and the official summer transfer window—running from July 1 to August 31 for Spanish clubs—is just weeks away.
In addition to Spain, the other federations whose clubs are eligible to utilize this special window are: Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, United States, France, England, Italy, Japan, Morocco, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, South Korea, South Africa, and Tunisia.