Liga MX clubs Pachuca and León on Friday both filed separate appeals before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against FIFA for ruling Club León out of the 2025 Club World Cup due to the tournament's multi-ownership rules.
CAS on Friday confirmed via statement that "Pachuca and Club León filed appeals seeking to annul the decision by the FIFA Appeal Committee and declare that the clubs comply with the Club World Cup eligibility requirements. Club León filed an additional appeal against the decision by the FIFA Secretary General to be reinstated in the competition."
The CAS said that both the Pachuca and León appeals would be heard on May 5.
Club León and Pachuca, both pertaining to Grupo Pachuca, originally qualified to the competition by winning separate editions of the Concacaf Champions Cup in 2023 and 2024.
But on March 21, FIFA announced the organization's general secretary decided to remove Club León from the tournament for breaching the competition's regulations.
At the time, León and Grupo Pachuca expressed discontent with the decision and threatened to do everything necessary to reverse the ruling.
CAS has now officially registered the appeal.
The CAS will also hold a hearing on April 23, at which Club León and Costa Rican side Liga Deportiva Alajuelense will present arguments in front of an audience in Madrid, Spain.
Alajuelense has been the most vocal against the participation of both Pachuca and Club León in the Club World Cup, reporting the multi-ownership case to the CAS back in February.
Alajuelense alleges that León's participation would violate the FIFA regulations and they argue that should receive a spot in the tournament instead.
Both clubs had until April 2 to gather legal documentation before presenting arguments on the 23rd.
Should Club León and Grupo Pachuca fail to appeal the decision, FIFA has drawn up plans to hold a one-game playoff between Club América and LAFC to determine a replacement team for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Club América was chosen to participate in the playoff match due to their position as leaders of the Concacaf rankings, while LAFC stood as the runner ups to Club León in the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup final.
The 32-team Club World Cup is set to begin on June 14, with the final being held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on July 13.