Next Wednesday at 3 PM ET, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain will face off in one of the most intense matchups of the Club World Cup. The clash is highly anticipated not only because Kylian Mbappé will be playing against his former club, but also due to the ongoing tensions between the presidents of both teams: Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Florentino Pérez.
So much so, that FIFA has canceled the traditional pre-match meeting between club executives and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, a gathering typically held before high-profile games.
A bitter rivalry between club presidents
The rift between Al-Khelaifi and Pérez dates back to the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League round of 16. In the first leg, PSG—featuring Lionel Messi in the starting XI (who missed a penalty)—won 1–0 thanks to a late goal from Mbappé. The French star also scored in the second leg, but Real Madrid mounted a stunning comeback to win 3–1 and advance.
Tensions escalated after the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu, when Al-Khelaifi confronted referee Danny Makkelie for not calling a foul on Karim Benzema in the lead-up to his goal. That moment sparked friction between the two clubs, which only deepened after Mbappé joined Real Madrid as a free agent—and later initiated legal proceedings against PSG.
UEFA’s response and fallout
Following the match, UEFA launched an investigation into Al-Khelaifi’s behavior. Though the PSG president was eventually cleared, sporting director Leonardo was fined for his role in the incident. The strained relationship between the clubs has remained ever since, adding an extra layer of intrigue to this semifinal clash.
