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Arsenal have missed out on snagging a spot at the FIFA Club World Cup after they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by Bayern Munich.
The German giants ended the Gunners' hopes of continental glory with a 1-0 win at the Allianz Arena in the second leg of the tie on April 17. This came a week after both sides played a 2-2 draw in north London, as Mikel Arteta's men failed to see off the Bavarians in front of their fans.
This means that Arsenal now have to look to the Premier League for a potential title this season. The loss to Bayern has also knocked them out of the Club World Cup.
There are two ways for teams to potentially qualify for this competition. The first is winning the Champions League within the last four years and the second is a performance-based ranking system in the continental competition.
The rules also allow two teams to qualify from the same country. But it is also possible for three teams to qualify if there have been three winners from the same country since 2021. Manchester City and Chelsea have both won the UEFA Champions League in the last four years, which makes them both eligible.
If Arsenal won the competition this season, they also would have qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup. However, an exit in the second leg in Bavaria have crushed those dreams. In their place (via 90min), the way is now clear for Austrian giants Red Bull Salzburg. They have high-performance rankings after playing 26 games in the competition across four seasons.
Mikel Arteta reacts to Arsenal's Champions League exit
Joshua Kimmich (63') scored the lone goal to secure the much-needed win for Bayern Munich to continue their chase for the UEFA Champions League trophy. His header on goal, which came just after the hour mark, was enough to keep the Bavarians in the competition and send Arsenal out.
Speaking after their exit, Gunners manager Mikel Arteta revealed his feelings to the press, saying(via BBC):
"I wish I had the right words to say to the players to make them feel better. What I am going to do - and all the coaching staff too - is to be close to the players. I feel so grateful to be the coach and to work with them every single day."
They have to return to the Premier League this weekend, where they will face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, April 20. They are two points behind leaders Manchester City in the title race.
