Introduction to the New FIFA Club World Championship
On June 14th, the FIFA Club World Championship begins in a new, greatly expanded format. "It will be like a world championship," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the end of 2022 when he announced his plans for this extended World Championship with 32 teams. So far, only the six winners of the Continental Club championships and a club from the host country took part. Infantino’s main goal for the new format is that it will achieve increased income.
Purpose of the New Format
The "new" World Cup should take place every four years from 2025. In the between years, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup is played – after the Old Club World Cup format. FIFA plans to present a Women’s Club World Cup in 2026.
Tournament Format
The teams are divided into eight groups, with each team facing the other three in their group. The two best teams of each group qualify for the 16th round – and at this point the game will continue in a KO format until the final. If a game with a knockout level is bound after 90 minutes, there are two 15-minute periods of additional time. If the score is still bound, the game is decided in a penalty shot. In contrast to the World Cup, there will be no game in third place.
Host Cities and Schedule
The games are played in 12 stadiums, all of which are located east of the United States, apart from Los Angeles and Seattle on the Pacific coast. The tournament opens on June 14th in Miami with the first game of group A between the winner of the African Champions League, Al Ahly FC from Egypt and the MLS Club Inter Miami. The final is planned for July 13th in New York.
Participating Teams
Europe has most participants with 12 teams. The last four winners of the Champions League qualified and the eight -best teams in Europe over the past four years. Germany is represented by Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. South America has six teams, Asia and Africa have four teams, as well as the region of North and Central America and the Caribbean. Oceania is represented by Auckland City FC from New Zealand.
Prize Money
In its 2024 financial report, FIFA predicted sales of $ 2 billion for this year’s World Cup with 1 billion US dollars for the participating clubs. FIFA will spend a little more than half of them in the case of participation payments – although this is not evenly distributed to the clubs. Some UEFA clubs receive the most. Under a special ranking that combines the sporting and commercial value of the clubs, payments per European club are between $ 12.8 million and USD 38.2 million.
Reception and Criticism
Opinions are shared. The participating clubs are happy about the generous financial rewards and were therefore steamed in their criticism. However, many critics indicate the already overcrowded football calendar and argue that this additional four-week tournament increases the players even less time to rest and recover the risk of injury. Some players will be in the USA with their clubs just a few days after their participation in the Nations League final.
Fan Response
The ticket sales were slow. Thousands of tickets are still available for the opening game in Miami. Since then, FIFA has drastically reduced ticket prices for the game to prevent the embarrassment of TV pictures of empty stands. There are even many tickets for the final. No wonder: the cheapest ticket costs 766 US dollars. The restrictive entry guidelines can prevent some foreign fans from participating in the tournament. The current protests in Los Angeles, one of the cities, do not seem to encourage anyone to take a last-minute trip to the World Cup.
