To what extent will this competition forced by Infantino be a charade?

No matter how much we search, no one knows how to force his dreams on this planet as much as Gianni Infantino. The European Club Association (ECA) has long been up against its plan for a new Club World Cup, which was mentioned at the end of 2016? The Fifa boss doesn’t care and hangs on. The Covid-19 pandemic which cost it the holding of the 2021 edition with 24 teams? A simple incident, it returns to the charge even stronger with its final version with 32 clubs for next summer. No broadcaster until Wednesday and the announcement of a “historic contract” with the DAZN platform, six months before the start of the competition?

Everything is under control, Gianni Infantino will wear his best suit, this Thursday (7 p.m.) in Miami, to orchestrate the draw for his most forced toy, as if nothing had happened. His unfailing obstinacy for such a disproportionate project, while the world of football no longer swears by the drift of overloaded calendars, a complaint from the international players’ union (Fifpro) in support in October, would almost command our admiration. Except that sorry Gianni, we can’t get excited about this new improbable format at all, for (at least) three obvious reasons.

Competition timing is horrible

Be careful to follow closely: on December 18, the essential Real Madrid will compete in the final of the new Fifa Intercontinental Cup, resembling the former Club World Cup (only six teams competing), at the Lusail stadium in Qatar (well, Gianni). Kylian Mbappé’s band will face Al Ahly (Egypt) on this occasion, or John Textor’s Botafogo (Brazil), or Pachuca (Mexico).

As for the Club World Cup, it will be played every four years, with its grand premiere from June 15 to July 13, 2025 in the United States. Yes yes, a good month of competition (seven matches on the menu for the two finalists) when all these beautiful people arrive flushed, two weeks after the Champions League final for example. And this in twelve stadiums scattered from Seattle to Miami, from Los Angeles to New York. It would still have been a shame to give the players a rest once again in a summer without the World Cup or the Euro, right?

Don’t bother talking to Gianni about Euro Espoirs (from June 12 to July 5) or the Gold Cup, which determines the North American champion country (from June 14 to July 6). Likewise, the 2025 summer transfer window promises to be folkloric since a special window should be open from June 1 to 10. Both to allow the 32 qualified clubs to extend by two weeks their players arriving at the end of their contract on June 30 (so mid-tournament) and to offer themselves early recruits in view of this new-look Club World Cup.

Liverpool, Barça and AC Milan out, why?

Admit that it would be funny to attend an ultra-expanded Club World Cup without the best team in Europe. Given the timing and the qualification criteria (over four years), we mainly think of Liverpool who are marching on the Mersey this season with Arne Slot (5/5 in C1 and 7 points ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League) but who will not be entitled to this crazy American adventure. Because remember that there are only two tickets maximum distributed per country, and that thanks to their victory in the Champions League in 2021, Chelsea are automatically the second British chosen one alongside Manchester City.

And yes, despite his 12th and 6th places in PL in 2023 and 2024, in the middle of “Todd Boehly Circus”. Within six points on the criteria established by Fifa, FC Barcelona (currently 3rd in C1) is also outfor the benefit of Atlético de Madrid, while AC Milan is narrowly ahead of Juventus (and far from its rival Inter).

Among the twelve European teams present, including PSG as the only French representative, the somewhat suspect meritocracy is fortunately highlighted by the presence in the “world elite” of RB Salzburg, scattered in October by our sumptuous Stade Brestois (0-4). Needless to say, despite a clean record in MLS, Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami is one of the two US clubs invited to the party.

A lure of profit made concrete by DAZN

After a royal 2022 World Cup cycle, with nearly three million tickets sold for the World Cup in Qatar and a record sum of 7.2 billion euros in revenue generated over the four years leading to this premier competition, Gianni Infantino obviously dreams very big. This version of event clubs set up from scratch by Sepp Blatter’s successor at the head of Fifa was above all dependent on a contract with a broadcaster. It therefore fell as if by magic on Wednesday, on the eve of the draw. Because until then, there were “only” three confirmed partners on the sponsorship side: Bank of America, the Chinese household appliances group Hisense and the Belgian beer brewer AB InBev.

This agreement with DAZN is estimated at $1 billion for the exclusive broadcast of the 63 matches of this Club World Cup. Enough to shatter the hope of many football fans that this “infantile” project will not come to fruition. In the absence of Apple, to which Fifa had turned in vain, it is therefore the British platform, now well known to Ligue 1 fans, which has gone all out on “the most widely used club football tournament accessible at all times”, as the Italian-Swiss leader rejoices.

For many weeks, several media have been reporting a colossal investment to come from DAZN, to the tune of 1 billion euros, from Saudi Arabia, which will be designated host country of the Cup on December 11. of the world 2034, being the only candidate after a sleight of hand expensive at Fifa. Are you following? So much so that thanks to the painstaking implementation of this business plan, the world football body will be able to provide a nice check for around 50 million euros to each participating club, and a golden trophy created by luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co for the winner.

Our file on Fifa

Enough to make Carlo Ancelotti’s speech last June obsolete: “Fifa forgets it: footballers and clubs will not participate in this tournament. It’s negative for Real, and other clubs will decline the invitation.” Real Madrid quickly disavowed its emblematic coach in a press release, and the 2 billion euros in revenue targeted by Gianni Infantino in his first major Club World Cup no longer seem so utopian. Chase your dreams.