- The expanded tournament will feature 32 teams and be held in the US next summer
- Chelsea will face Flamengo in the group stage and Man City will play Juventus
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Football’s best players will meet at next summer’s FIFA Club World Cup and the sheer size of the prize money available should motivate teams to go all out.
The expanded tournament now includes 32 teams and will take place in the United States between June 15 and July 13, at the end of a long season for the sport’s cream of the crop.
Manchester City are in the tournament because they are the current champions, while Chelsea are there because, apart from City, they are the last English club to win the Champions League.
However, the qualification criteria are not exactly clear. Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will represent the US along with Seattle Sounders. Both were eliminated from the MLS playoffs, which were ultimately won by LA Galaxy.
One team whose qualification was inevitable was Real Madrid, with the Spanish giants reaching the tournament thanks to their Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund in May.
Now the eye-watering amount of money up for grabs for the teams in the tournament has been revealed and Los Blancos are set to take home more than any other team. IF reports.
Next summer’s FIFA Club World Cup will likely be worth Real Madrid’s effort
Carlo Ancelotti’s club could earn up to £83m if they win the tournament in the US
Man City, who need good news after a bad run, are also likely to be well compensated
The 15-time Champions League winners are in the top coefficient bracket and are in line to rake in £83m if they win it all.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are expected to earn £25 million just for qualifying and £29 million if they win all their group stage matches.
Real Madrid will face Neymar’s Al-Hilal, Mexico’s Pachuca and Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg in this first round and are hopeful of progress.
Should they reach the semi-finals they would be in line for a £50 million payday, while a place in the final should earn them £66 million.
The big European clubs are expected to get a bigger share of the pot than other clubs in the league, which some say is a move aimed at ensuring they treat it seriously and play most of their big names , amid concerns about player burnout. .
In fact, this month it was reported that both Chelsea and City could expect to earn between £50 and £60 million during the tournament.
Mail Sport also understands that there will also be a form of solidarity fund in which money will be paid to the associations from the countries of the 32 participating clubs. The Football Association will benefit from this.
The amount handed over may vary depending on the number of sponsors attracted. So far, only Hisense, AB InBev and Bank of America are on board. According to reports, FIFA hopes to attract ten major partners and the DAZN deal will have done little damage to them.
Chelsea qualified as the last English winners of the Champions League, with the exception of City
City were awarded the FIFA Club World Cup group stage draw against Juventus
Chelsea will be reunited with cult hero David Luiz when they take on Flamengo in the group stage
The tournament, which starts in mid-June, will be broadcast worldwide free-to-air by DAZN, which has suffered billions in losses since its launch. There is talk that money from Saudi Arabia could be used to support the streaming platform.
The staggering prize money could well be the envy of the rest of the top flight. Many clubs will undertake their own summer tours abroad, where insiders say they will be lucky to earn around a quarter of the £25million promised to the qualifiers.
The substantial cash injection will also have a major impact on the Premier League’s financial rules – and could lead to some rivals complaining about what they could see as an unfair advantage.
City were handed the main match of the group stage, with the Premier League champions facing Juventus in a ceremony earlier this month. Chelsea are reunited with former defender David Luiz after Enzo Maresca’s side were brought in to take on Brazilian side Flamengo.
Along with the Italian giants, City will face Moroccan side Wydad AC and Al Ain of the UAE in the group stage. Chelsea will also face Mexican side Club Leon and Tunisia’s Esperance Sportive de Tunis.