Teams competing in FIFA’s inaugural 32-team Club World Cup, set to take place in the United States next summer, could earn a record-breaking $125 million, according to details of a $1 billion prize money fund released by FIFA, as per Al Jazeera.
The tournament, scheduled for June 14 to July 13, will feature a guaranteed $525 million in fees for participating teams. These fees range from $38.19 million for the top-ranked European team, likely Real Madrid, down to $3.58 million for Oceania representative Auckland City.
An additional $475 million is up for grabs based on performance across the 63 matches. Teams will receive $2 million for each group stage win, $7.5 million for reaching the round of 16, and a staggering $40 million for winning the final, which will be held at MetLife Stadium near New York.
The coveted Club World Cup trophy even made an appearance at the White House this month, delivered personally by FIFA President Gianni Infantino to then-President Donald Trump.
The announcement of the prize fund was delayed until a global broadcast deal was finalized in December with streaming service DAZN. Notably, DAZN subsequently received a significant investment from a state-backed sports agency in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia was also confirmed by FIFA in December as the host nation for the 2034 men’s World Cup.
Each of the 12 European teams participating in the Club World Cup is guaranteed a minimum entry fee of $12.81 million. These payments will be determined based on a “ranking based on sporting and commercial criteria,” although FIFA has not yet provided specific details on the ranking methodology.
Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea have all secured their spots in the tournament by either winning a Champions League title between 2021 and 2024 or demonstrating consistent results in the competition during that period.
Countries were limited to a maximum of two entries unless they had three Champions League winners. As a result, Salzburg of Austria qualified as the final European team, despite never progressing beyond the round of 16, as higher-ranked clubs like Liverpool and Barcelona were blocked by the country cap.
The six South American teams will each receive an entry fee of $15.21 million. Teams from Africa, Asia, and the CONCACAF region of North America – including Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, despite their failure to win the MLS Cup title last season – will each receive $9.55 million for their participation.
Leon of Mexico is currently challenging FIFA’s decision to exclude them from the competition, arguing that their shared ownership with Pachuca, which has also qualified, should not disqualify them.
In addition to the prize money allocated to participating teams, FIFA plans to distribute $250 million to clubs worldwide that did not qualify for the tournament. The specific number of clubs that will receive these funds and the amount they will receive remains unclear.
For comparison, the total prize pool for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar amounted to $440 million.
