$1 billion in prize money is up for grabs at the 2025 Club World Cup and clubs are already falling over each other for a ticket in the raffle.
Over £300,000 a day. That’s what the £10m Real Madrid paid Liverpool to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold 30 days early equates to. This is the true value of Los Blancos’ desperation for a new right back before the Club World Cup, and a symbol of their gamble that may or may not pay off in the United States this summer.
Even this close to the start of the newly expanded tournament, the 2025 Club World Cup remains an unknown quantity. Are players really motivated to win a competition that only exists as a political tool to inflate FIFA’s position in the US? What sort of energy levels will we see from teams who have only just finished a long and gruelling season?
At boardroom level, though, the £97m bounty for winning the Club World Cup is certainly enough motivation. It’s why Real Madrid paid £10m to have Alexander-Arnold for the month of June. It’s why others are rushing through signings in a specially created transfer window before the start of the tournament. The Club World Cup is bringing out the worst impulses in Europe’s biggest clubs.
Real Madrid have done more than any other club to accelerate their summer plans. Xabi Alonso is already in place as Los Blancos’ new boss when it might have been wiser to give the Spaniard a full pre-season to get his ideas across. Instead, Alonso will have to implement a new system and approach at the Club World Cup with matches every few days. Time on the training pitch will be limited.
Chelsea are another club set to take advantage of the early summer transfer window with Liam Delap joining the Blues as their new No. 9 before they travel to the US. Ordinarily, Delap would have time to integrate himself. This summer, though, the England U21 striker will be dropped immediately into a competitive environment. The pressure will be instant.
It’s not just the European participants that are hearing the countdown clock before the start of the Club World Cup. Al-Hilal have reportedly been pushing Bruno Fernandes to make an early decision on joining the Saudi Pro League club. And they were quick to snap up outgoing Inter boss Simone Inzaghi to take over in time for the tournament.
Then there’s the saga around Cristiano Ronaldo. The 40-year-old has posted cryptic messages about his Al-Nassr future on social media while Infantino has claimed “there are discussions” over Ronaldo playing at the Club World Cup. If Ronaldo is to make a move over the next week or so, it won’t be a transfer motivated by sporting factors.
Some of this will make the Club World Cup interesting to the neutral observer. We will get evidence of Alonso’s Real Madrid and how Los Blancos will change under their new manager earlier than otherwise would have been the case. Other players could make their club debuts with the whole world watching.
It is a Euro-centric perspective to suggest there is no competitive merit to the Club World Cup. For clubs in AFC, CAF, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, this is a rare opportunity to measure oneself against the best teams in the sport. The Club World Cup has always had a ‘Europe Against The World’ dynamic and that won’t change despite the expanded format.
Nonetheless, it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what is on offer for clubs this summer besides a pot of $1 billion in prize money. Not only is this disrupting the summer calendar, it could severely warp football around the world and widen the ever-growing gap between the richest and the rest at the top of the sport.
Inter Miami, Los Angeles FC and the Seattle Sounders will collect nearly $10m for merely playing in the Club World Cup. This is more than they will receive for a full season of domestic TV money from Major League Soccer and could twist any sense of parity in a league designed to have equality.
Even for Chelsea or Manchester City, winning the Club World Cup would give them a gigantic financial advantage over their Premier League rivals. FIFA’s £97m bounty makes a mockery of the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) that will restrict everyone else in the English top flight this summer.
While the core purpose of a global competition from all six confederations is credible, the format, scheduling and money attached to the expanded Club World Cup is grotesque, and many of the participating clubs are acting accordingly. At a time when modern football is already so money-driven, this summer’s tournament is setting a new precedent.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Club World Cup with FotMob – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.