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Virgil van Dijk has admitted to a sense of relief after Liverpool narrowly missed out on qualifying for the newly expanded Club World Cup.
The revamped 32-team tournament took place in the United States earlier this summer with Chelsea coming away as champions after beating Paris Saint Germain in the final. With only two clubs allowed per national association, Manchester City and Chelsea represented England in the competition. Despite consistently competing at the top of the Premier League and maintaining a strong presence in the Champions League, Liverpool have missed out on qualification.
The primary route into the tournament was through recent Champions League success, with automatic invitations granted to the winners from the four seasons leading up to 2024. Chelsea and City secured their spots by lifting the trophy in 2021 and 2023, respectively. Real Madrid claimed the title in both 2022 and 2024.
The remaining nine of UEFA’s 12 slots were filled based on club rankings over the qualification period. Liverpool, runners-up in 2022, could have made the cut through those rankings — if not for both City and Chelsea already claiming England’s maximum quota.
After a demanding Premier League season, Liverpool won't have been overly disappointed to miss the summer tournament. In fact, their absence could turn out to be an advantage heading into the new campaign. In a recent interview with the Athletic, Van Dijk mentioned how nice it was to have a break, something the Reds wouldn't have had if they qualified.
He said: “To be absolutely honest, I think what’s even more important for me is the break I got. I had something like four and a half weeks off which is the longest I’ve had since…… I can’t even remember! To have this big pre-season now means we can work on so many aspects of our play which we can improve. Defending, attacking, set-pieces, build up. That’s the main thing we’ve trying to do.
“It’s good to see so many fans out here. The pitch was a bit difficult to play on but we’ll get some good minutes under our belt against AC Milan. Then we’ll head for Tokyo.”
After signing a new two-year deal in April, Van Dijk revealed that Liverpool’s hierarchy had promised a “big summer” in the transfer market — and so far, it has delivered.
The marquee arrival of striker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt, in a deal that could reach $106 million (£79 million) with add-ons, has pushed the club’s total summer spending close to the $400M mark. For Van Dijk, it’s a powerful statement of intent as Arne Slot’s side aim to build on last season’s Premier League title triumph.
The 34-year-old added: “Yeah, I don’t think it’s been a bad transfer window in terms of the additions that we have made and the money we’ve spent. The club is obviously trying to improve our squad.
“The Premier League is incredibly strong so it’s only right that we have to improve too. We know we have a very good team but additions are always a plus and I’ve been really impressed with how they have settled in."
English (US) ·