2 months ago
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Eye-watering money
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The Club World Cup (CWC) is currently ongoing in the United States with the new format of the competition dividing opinions across the world. The competition was first established in 2000 but it was majorly restructured for the 2025 edition with 32 teams from six different continents competing. 12 European clubs will battle it out with teams from South America (6), Africa (4), Asia (4), North America, Central America and Caribbean (4), plus Auckland from Oceania.
The new format of the CWC has received significant criticism with some players even expressing their unhappiness, claiming it’s adding to the already congested schedule and could lead to burnout. Attendances have also been under the spotlight with some games played in half-empty stadiums during working hours in the United States but others have received massive crowds. The CWC has more appeal for clubs outside of Europe but the biggest clubs in the competition are taking it extremely seriously due to the eye-watering financial incentives. We’ve analysed exactly how much clubs can make from their participation at the CWC.
How much can clubs make at the Club World Cup?
The total prize money at the Club World Cup stands at an astronomical €868 million ($1 billion) and will be split between a performance and participation pillar. The participation pillar reflects every club being financially rewarded for merely competing in the tournament, although it will not be evenly split between all 32 clubs. FIFA will distribute the money based on their determined ranking of clubs based on ‘sporting and commercial criteria’. The top-ranked European club will receive €34.6m and the lowest €11.6m with South American clubs receiving €12.9m, North & Central America, Asia, Africa and Caribbean outfits collecting €8.1m and Auckland €3m.
The performance related pillar, however, is where major clubs will be eyeing a substantial financial windfall. In the group stages, clubs will net €1.75m for a win and €936k for a draw. But it’s progression deeper into the tournament that will earn clubs sizable prize money. Clubs will receive €6.8m for reaching the last 16, €11.8m for quarter-finals and €19m for the semi-finals. The losing finalist will pocket €27.1m and the winners Club World Cup winners will net €35m for victory in the showpiece game. When you combine the money received from the performance pillar and accumulated through the participation pillar then the finalists could earn in excess of €100m throughout the tournament.
