FIFA already in panic over Club World Cup

The subject of the brand new FIFA Club World Cup is starting to get talked about. In recent weeks, many players like Rodri, Marquinhos, Koundé and many others interviewed on the subject have expressed their concerns about too many matches played this season. The Manchester City midfielder even mentioned a potential strike by the players. The Champions League has changed its format to increase its number of teams and therefore matches, in order to counter the European Super League project and increase its TV rights revenue. Then comes this famous Club World Cup.

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This competition is also changing its mode of operation. There are no longer 7 qualified teams (6 winners of the biggest continental competition, plus a local team) for a small tournament played over a week, but 32 participants spread across all continents (Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City, Flamengo, Boca Juniors, Al-Hilal, Urawa, Al Ahly, Wydad AC, CF Monterrey to name a few) who compete in the format of the World Cup. The first edition takes place this summer. The competition will last a month, from June 15 to July 13 in the United States, at a time when the players are usually on vacation since there is no competition between nations.

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FIFA still doesn’t have a broadcaster…

As you will have understood, the slots to rest are becoming a very rare commodity for a high-level player. This is obviously one of the criticisms made of this Club World Cup. FIFA wants to make football profitable, develop it and create new revenue streams. To attract the best teams in the world, it has promised between €25 and €70 million to participants, between qualification and the course completed. The body intends to finance this very nice sum with the sale of TV rights for this new competition. Problem, according to information from The Athleticno broadcaster is currently interested in acquiring these rights.

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The situation is worrying enough that FIFA President Gianni Infantino is holding an emergency meeting with various TV executives around the world this Friday to try to drum up interest. According to sources cited by the American media outlet, the personal involvement of the head of the body is evidence of the level of concern. Talks were held with the American giant Apple for a streaming agreement, but the negotiations were cut short, forcing FIFA to launch a call for tenders last July to find a broadcaster for the 2025-2029 period. There was no real response.

Participating clubs have no visibility

In reality, the hopes of the organizers of this Club World Cup are very far from the realities of the audiovisual rights market. In other words, no company is willing to put up a large sum. A major player in the sector estimated the North American rights at a maximum of 30 million dollars (around €27 million). Between the competition from other sports competitions taking place at the same time (Women’s Euro, Wimbledon, Tour de France), the absence of major clubs (Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, FC Barcelona, ​​AC Milan, Al-Nassr with Ronaldo not qualified), plus the uncertainty surrounding Messi’s Inter Miami (the place will be awarded to the winner of the MLS Cup), there is a real fear of a lack of interest from the public for this additional tournament.

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The problem goes beyond the broadcasting, since neither the stadiums, nor the base camps, nor even the sponsors of the tournament have been announced by FIFA, while the competition is due to start in just nine months. The participating clubs have not been officially informed of the participation bonuses they will receive. Brands do not want to get involved until they know the locations, the broadcasting methods, and the degree of exposure of the event. Other sponsors already linked to FIFA claim that the contracts signed for the other competitions already bind them to this World Cup, while the body would like to separate the contracts in order to obtain additional income. This Club World Cup is not easy and its existence is already threatened.