Chelsea and Man City could possibly be set for unbelievable windfall as FIFA provide $1BILLION in prize cash for inaugural 32-team Club World Cup
- Manchester City and Chelsea are among the teams taking part in the tournament
- FIFA want to make it the ‘football event of the year’ with a prize fund to match
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The new FIFA Club World Cup will reportedly put a $1billion (£777million) prize money on offer.
Manchester City and Chelsea are among the 32 teams who will battle it out at the rebranded competition in the United States this summer.
It is a radically redesigned tournament, spearheaded by controversial FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and in December DAZN landed a $1bn TV rights deal for it.
The Club World Cup has typically been viewed as a minor affair for European clubs and fans, but FIFA wants it to be ‘the football event of the year’.
In a bid to add to its prestige, FIFA are bankrolling a prize pot of £777m to be split among the 32 teams.
The European Club Association, an independent body which represents teams in the continent, is said to be close to striking a deal with FIFA.
The revamped FIFA Club World Cup will feature a prize fund of $1billion (£777m)
Manchester City and Chelsea are the two English clubs competing in the competition
The competition will include 32 teams as FIFA look to make it a showpiece event in the calendar
As well as a participation fee and incentives for progression, that deal includes a $250m solidarity pot for clubs not who have not qualified.
While the £777m is not the biggest in football – the Champions League, for example, is handing out north of £2bn to clubs in the league phase onwards – it is staggering given it will take a seven-game format.
Each team will only play three games in the group stages and then a maximum of four knockout rounds, the total of seven being a game shorter than Champions League league phase.
There are 12 European teams in all, and City and Chelsea qualify based on winning the Champions League in 2023 and 2021.
Mail Sport exclusively revealed in February that ticket prices for the tournament have been drastically slashed.
We understand that the cost of the cheapest seats for matches at the last-16 stage and beyond have dropped by as much as $385 (£310) following the introduction of a new ‘value tier’.
The lowest-priced tickets available for the semi-final for those who declare they are fans of a participating club had been priced at a staggering $526 (£423). However, fans can now buy them for $140 (£113).
And the cheapest tickets for the final – which were an eye-watering $892 (£717) – are now being offered for a slightly more palatable $300 (£241).
Man City will be looking to reclaim the title after winning the 2023 final against Fluminense
FIFA insist that the move is not a price drop but is instead the creation of a new category aimed at rewarding the loyalty of fans who will travel to the US.
The month-long tournament has undergone a controversial expansion some view as a FIFA land grab.
Instead of seven teams, it will feature 32 clubs from across the world including 12 from Europe, instead of traditionally only the Champions League winner.
Aside from City and Chelsea, heavyweights Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain will also cross the Atlantic.
The tournament has faced criticism given the increased workload on players, while a frustrated Premier League has said they cannot allow City and Chelsea to start their next domestic seasons later because of time constraints.
