Soccer's 3-to-22 officials-to-player ratio is significantly lower than all major sports. Finally FIFA, the game's world governing body, has approved an experiment with two additional referees. At the Club World Cup competition in Japan in December, two goalmouth referees will be used in addition to the referee and the two assistant referees (linesmen). FIFA's new Strategic Committee, chaired by
UEFA president Michel Platini, confirmed the experiment during the first meeting of FIFA's new Strategic Committee. What exact role the two goalmouth referees will play has not yet been determined.

FIFA will also use the tournament to continue tests on goal-line technology developed by adidas that uses a chip in the ball to determine if shots have crossed the line.

The six continental club champions and the league champions from the host nation compete in Club World Cup: Italy's AC Milan, Argentina's Boca Juniors, Mexico's Pachuca and New Zealand's Waitakere United are the first qualifiers of the seven-team competition.