Ex-Chiefs star: This is how Amakhosi can make it to next FIFA Club World Cup

Former Kaizer Chiefs defender Morgan Gould feels the Glamour Boys have the perfect opportunity to begin their journey to qualifying for the next FIFA Club World Cup.

Chiefs were among those who watched from a distance as the likes of Mamelodi Sundowns, Al Ahly, Esperance and Wydad Athletic Club joined some of the world’s best clubs at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

The participating teams raked in at least $10 million (R173 million) for their appearance while they got exposure at a global stage, marketing them further.

Qualifying for the Club World Cup, however, is not easy as the clubs have to consistently reach the latter stages of the CAF Champions League over a number of years to accumulate enough points.

With the next Club World Cup four years away, Gould thinks his old club have a chance to get back to becoming a continental giant and be one of the African teams at the 2029 tournament in Qatar.

Why does Gould think Chiefs can play Club World Cup?

“It's always good to go into continental competitions, it just gives you a lot of pedigree,” Gould told SportsBoom.

“It tests your flexibility not just on the football side but from the social side. Chiefs being a big team, economically it makes sense for them because they'll just be selling more units.

“And then when it comes to the club’s ambitions to play in bigger tournaments such as the Club World Cup, CAF is the type of tournament that they need to compete in.”

Gould is thrilled that Chiefs made it to the CAF Confederation Cup group stages and now wants them to make it to the latter stages like the semis or final and build from there as they eye a return to the Champions League.

“The club obviously has a mission to go and play the next Club World Cup and a couple of Club World Cups after that,” he added.

Amakhosi have fallen off in Africa in recent years  

“This is how you start, you go to your semi-final of your Champions League, reach the final of the CAF Confederations Cup, those are the types of things that you need.

“This is a step in the right direction. It's still a journey that's obviously going to be testing, but it's a journey that I think is not impossible to get to the land of milk and honey.”

Chiefs’ best performance in continental competitions in recent years was reaching the final of the 2021 Champions League but they have fallen off since then and this is the first season they are making a return.

The Glamour Boys are also among the lowest ranked clubs in Africa and therefore have a big job on their hands to get into the top four on the continent to be considered for the 2029 Club World Cup.