Leon was kicked out of the competition by FIFA on Friday for breaching the governing body's regulations on multi-club ownership. Interestingly the call for the side to be removed was made by Alajuelense who share ownership with the Mexican side and are now set to face the Blues according to World Soccer Talk.
A statement from FIFA confirmed Leon’s exit over the weekend:
"After having evaluated all evidence on file, the chairman of the FIFA Appeal Committee has decided that CF Pachuca and Club Leon failed to meet the criteria on multi-club ownership defined under article 10 Paragraph 1 of the Regulations for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.
"In line with article 10 paragraph 4 of the Regulations for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, FIFA has determined that Club Leon will be removed from the competition, with the club to be admitted as a replacement to be announced in due course." The news comes less than three months before Chelsea were due to face their Latin American opponents.
Alajuelense, currently ranked 45th globally by FIFA, is the highest-ranked CONCACAF team not from Mexico or the MLS and qualified by winning the 2024 edition of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Chelsea however qualified on account of their Champions League final victory over Man City in the 2020-21 season and will be favourites for the clash in what should be a tough clash.