Barcelona Draw Libertadores Winners in 2027 Club World Cup Semi-Finals

Fifa has overhauled the club world cup, and the Libertadores winners will now enter in the semi-finals against Barcelona. The change pushes South America’s champions straight into a harder route in 2027, with the final phase set for Miami from 27 to 31 January.

Barcelona and the Libertadores path

Barcelona will be paired with the Libertadores winners in the semi-finals for 2027. If Corinthians win the 2026 Libertadores, they would face Barcelona in their first fixture at the intercontinental event, instead of starting one round earlier against the Concacaf side that opened the previous edition.

That shift is the clearest break from the last tournament. Corinthians, as 2025 Libertadores champions, began in the semi-finals against Gotham FC, the winners of the Concacaf W Champions Cup, and then met Arsenal in the final under coach Lucas Piccinato.

Miami bracket for 2027

The rest of the 2027 Copa das Campeãs is already taking shape around that side of the draw. América of Mexico, the Concacaf W Champions Cup champions, are on the other side of the bracket, while the African champions are already through to the quarter-finals.

Naegohyang of North Korea will face the Oceania champions in the round of 16. The city will host the final phase, with stadiums still to be confirmed, leaving the bracket set but the venue list unfinished.

For the Libertadores winner, the route is now simple on paper and tougher in practice: reach the event, take Barcelona immediately, and then deal with whatever the opposite side produces in Miami.