Manchester City and Chelsea are in line to net summer windfalls of up to £60million – after Fifa signed a $1billion television deal with DAZN for the right to screen the Club World Cup.
Mail Sport understands that while no final decision has been made, both clubs have been told expect between £50m and £60m from their participation in the tournament, which takes place in the United States next year, after the game-changing agreement with the UK-based broadcaster last week.
That staggering figure could well be the envy of the rest of the top flight. Many clubs to jet off on their own summer tours overseas where they will be fortunate to make around 10 per cent of £60m, according to insiders.
The substantial cash injection will also impact heavily on the Premier League’s financial rules – and may lead some rivals to bemoan what they could perceive as an unfair advantage.
City are in the tournament because they are the current champions, while Chelsea are there because they are the last English club to win the Champions League.
However, the qualification criteria is less than clear cut. Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will represent the US along with Seattle Sounders. Both were both knocked out of the MLS play-offs which were eventually won by LA Galaxy.
Man City and Chelsea are set to land a £60million windfall after a TV rights deal was agreed
The Premier League sides will be taking part in the Club World Cup tournament next year
The news was delivered at a meeting before last week’s draw. It is expected that the major European clubs will be handed a larger share from the pot than other clubs in the competition, which some believe is a move aimed at ensuring that they treat it seriously and play most of their big names amid concerns over player burnout.
Mail Sport also understands that there will also be a form of solidarity fund which will see money paid to the associations from the countries of the 32 clubs who are participating. The Football Association will be one of those to benefit.
The amount handed over could change dependent upon the numbers of sponsors attracted. So far only Hisense, AB InBev and Bank of America are on board. According to reports Fifa are hoping to attract 10 major partners and the DAZN deal will have done them little harm.
The tournament, which starts in mid-June, will be shown free-to-air worldwide by DAZN, which has recorded billions in losses since its launch. There has been talk that money from Saudi Arabia could be used to prop up the streaming platform.
The announcement of the broadcast deal was made on the eve of the draw for what will be an expanded tournament. Twelve European sides will feature, including Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.