FIFA recognizes world club titles from 1960 onwards.
FIFA has recognized as Club World Championships the titles contested since 1960 between South American and European clubs, fulfilling a request from CONMEBOL, the governing body of football in South America; however, FIFA does not recognize international titles obtained before the creation of the Copa Libertadores in 1960; therefore, the requests from Palmeiras and Fluminense to have the 1951 and 1952 Taça Rio titles recognized as World Championships will not be granted.
247 - FIFA recognizes as official the world titles won by South American and European clubs between 1960 and 2004. But it excludes tournaments like the one in 1951, won by Palmeiras. This Friday (27), at the FIFA Council meeting held in India, the organization approved the proposal from CONMEBOL. The idea is to end this controversy about world titles.
According to FIFA, the organization also wants to reconsider the format of the Club World Cup. The current model is not popular with clubs and does not attract fans. One option would be to return to a competition between South American and European teams. But FIFA wants something more global and may eliminate the Confederations Cup to replace it with a broader Club World Cup.
In 2014, former FIFA president Joseph Blatter responded to a request from former Sports Minister Aldo Rebello and sent a letter recognizing the 1951 title as a world championship for Palmeiras. While acknowledging the value of past competitions, he would only recognize tournaments promoted by FIFA. This meant that not only was the 1951 title excluded, but also the competitions between South American and European teams between 1960 and 2000, including those held in Tokyo.
CONMEBOL reacted and asked for the matter to be reconsidered. But the South American entity had no grounds to recognize the tournaments played before 1960. That year was chosen because it marks the beginning of the Copa Libertadores de América – the tournament that determines South America's representative in the world competition.
Palmeiras and Fluminense are seeking recognition for the Taça Rio, won by the São Paulo team in 1951 and the Rio de Janeiro team in 1952, respectively. With official FIFA recognition, therefore, the list of Brazilian world champions includes São Paulo (three-time champion in 1992, 1993 and 2005), Santos (two-time champion in 1962 and 1963), Corinthians (two-time champion in 2000 and 2012), as well as Flamengo (1981), Grêmio (1983) and Internacional (2006).