Revealed: FIFA to give over $1bn to Club World Cup particpants
Fifa is set to give over $1bn in prize money to clubs taking part in the Club World Cup. The European Club Association (ECA), which represents European clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City, is close to finalising a deal.
According to several sources, the 32 clubs, including 12 from Europe, will share this massive prize across a seven-match tournament. This is partly funded by a $1bn global TV deal with the sports streaming service DAZN, which was agreed in December.
The first tournament will take place in the United States, starting on 14 June and finishing with the final in New Jersey on 13 July. Clubs will receive a fee for entering the group stage, plus extra money depending on how far they progress in the tournament.
Fifa and the ECA are also discussing payments for clubs that do not take part in the tournament. This will include future payments for clubs in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
Fifa and the ECA have not yet commented on these talks.
The new Club World Cup has caused some controversy. It will be played by 32 teams, with European clubs expected to receive a larger share of the prize money. This is because their clubs are seen as very important to the competition and will miss out on high-paying pre-season tours.
The ECA represents clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain, Juventus, and others. However, Real Madrid is not part of the ECA because they still support the idea of a European Super League.
The ECA has agreed to support the Club World Cup until at least 2030, as part of an agreement signed in 2023.
Many clubs from outside Europe support the competition, but they are unsure how much money they will receive for participating.
Fifa president Gianni Infantino said in December, “Whatever Fifa does, it has to be global. Fifa has to involve the world and give opportunities to everyone, and the Club World Cup is doing exactly that.”
Fifa will not make a profit from the tournament. Instead, it plans to reinvest all the $1bn into global club football.
A Fifa Council meeting will take place to update members on the tournament, which will be held in 12 stadiums across 11 US cities during the month-long event.
In Africa, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is negotiating on behalf of African clubs. CAF board member Hersi A. Said told BBC Sport, “We are happy with four clubs – Al-Ahly, Wydad AC, ES Tunis, and Mamelodi Sundowns – and we will push for more in future tournaments. We don’t know much about TV rights or payments yet, but we would like to be involved in these discussions.”
Clubs in North America and Asia have also shown support for the competition, even though they don’t yet know how much money they will receive.
