Chelsea, Manchester City and a number of other European big guns are ready for the controversial Club World Cup and despite criticism huge sums of money are on offer
Many players are unhappy to be competing, at least one Premier League manager has said he will not be tuning in and tickets are six times cheaper than initially advertised because fans are so unenthused.
But one thing that cannot be sniffed at in FIFA’s controversial 32-team Club World Cup is the $1bn prize pot with the winners expected to pocket about £100m – roughly the same as the Champions League winners for fewer than half of the games.
And without such riches being dangled in front of them it is fair to question whether Europe’s big guns would have committed in the first place.
“The distribution model of the FIFA Club World Cup reflects the pinnacle of club football and represents the biggest-ever prize money for a football tournament comprising a seven-match group stage and playoff format with a potential payout of $125m foreseen for the winners,” Gianni Infantino said in typical understated fashion when announcing the distribution model.
Here is what each team is set to earn over the coming four weeks, broken into a performance pillar of $475m (£350m) and a participation pillar of $525m (£386m).
Performance pillar
The format is the same as the real World Cup – well, until that is changed next summer – with an impressive $2m prize in every group stage game with the winner taking it all and a draw split evenly.
Reaching the round of 16 will see clubs earn an additional $7.5m, quarter-finalists will get $13.125m, the four semi-finalists pocket another $21m with the beaten finalists getting $30m and the champions earning $40m alongside a trophy with Infantino’s name scratched on.
- Group stage $2m (£1.47m) for a win $1m (£740,000) for draw per club
- Round of 16 $7.5m (£5.5m)
- Quarter-final $13.125m (£9.67m)
- Semi-final $21m (£15.46m)
- Finalist $30m (£22.1m)
- Winner $40m (£29.46m)
Participation pillar
But even if your team has a stinker and bows out after three group stage fixtures, simply turning up will prove worthwhile.
All 32 clubs will get a base payment based on their rankings and federation with the UEFA sides on a sliding scale based upon what FIFA called “sporting and commercial criteria.”
- Europe $12.81-38.19m (£9.43m-£28.12m)
- South America $15.21m (£11.2m)
- North, Central America & Caribbean $9.55m (£7.03m)
- Asia $9.55m (£7.03m)
- Africa $9.55m (£7.03m)
- Oceania $3.58m (£2.64m)
Global football
FIFA also say that the CWC will see “an unprecedented solidarity investment programme” with “a target of an additional $250m being provided to club football across the world ” – though exact details around how that is being distributed are unclear.
Infantino said: “This solidarity will undoubtedly provide a significant boost in our ongoing efforts in making football truly global.”
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Watch the Club World Cup free on DAZN
The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world’s best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.
Fans can watch every match live and for free by signing up to DAZN.
