PARIS (France): FIFA on Wednesday announced it will pay total prize money of one billion dollars to participants in the Club World Cup taking place in the United States this year.
World football’s governing body has given few details about the funding of the first edition of the 32-team tournament that will take place every four years but it has signed up a broadcaster and major sponsors in recent weeks.
In a statement confirming the prize money on offer, FIFA said it expected to generate $2 billion in revenues from the expanded Club World Cup. It also confirmed that a women’s edition will take place from 2028.
“The FIFA Club World Cup will not only be the pinnacle of club football, but also a vivid demonstration of solidarity that will benefit clubs at large to a scale that no other competition has ever done,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“All revenue generated by the tournament will be distributed to the participating clubs and via club solidarity across the world as FIFA will not keep a single dollar.”
The tournament will feature 12 teams from Europe, six from South America and four each from Asia, Africa and North and Central America. Not all the reaction has been negative, with Paris SaintGermain coach Luis Enrique insisting “everyone” would want to play.
“Once every four years there’s this new, extremely exciting competition.
Everyone wants to go to the Club World Cup,” he said last year. The tournament will be held at 12 venues across 11 cities in the United States, with the final at the MetLife Stadium, which will also host the 2026 World Cup final, in New Jersey. – AFP
