FIFA’s $1 Billion Baby, Club World Cup, Facing A Number Of Challenges

One of the most controversial FIFA tournaments is set to kick off on Saturday, June 14, when Inter Miami CF and Al-Ahly tussle in the opening game of the FIFA Club World Cup at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

So, what exactly is the Club World Cup, you might ask?

It is a 32-team competition that is organized by soccer’s world governing body, bringing together championship sides for one big tournament. It is being held in the United States a year before FIFA’s pride and joy, the 2026 World Cup. That tournament will be co-hosted by Mexico, Canada and the U.S.

FIFA has advertised it as the inaugural tournament, although it has been around since 2000, traditionally reserved for the champions of the various confederations around the globe. This is the first expanded edition.

Even before a ball has been kicked, the competition has been plagued by controversy and some challenges, including lagging ticket sales in the group stage, the expected presence of U.S. Customs & Border Protection and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at games and serious concern over stretching players’ limits in an already packed calendar.

The Club World Cup isn’t anywhere as well known as the FIFA World Cup. FIFA leaders had hoped a growing soccer interest in the United States would fill stadium, but it isn’t looking that way.

Here is some basic information about the tourney and story lines that are expected to emerge over the next month:

Two tournaments at the same time

For the first time, there will be two major soccer tournaments being held in the U.S. at the same time.

Besides the FIFA Club World Cup, which includes many of the top club sides in the world, there is also the Concacaf Gold Cup, which brings together the top national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The U.S. is participating in that competition, and Saudi Arabia is a guest team. The Gold Cup begins on Sunday, June 15 and runs through the final in Houston on July 6.

32 teams vie for glory

Thirty-two teams are competing, and 20 countries are represented.

Here is the breakdown by confederation:

Asian Football Confederation: Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Ulrawa Red Diamonds (Japan) and Ulsan HD (Korea Republic)

Africa: Al-Ahly (Egypt), Wydad AC (Morocco), Esperance de Tunis (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Concacaf: Monterrey (Mexico), Pachuca (Mexico), Inter Miami CF (U.S.), Los Angeles FC (U.S.), Seattle Sounders (U.S.)

CONMEBOL (South America): Botafogo (Brazil), Flamengo (Brazil), Fluminense (Brazil), Palmeiras (Brazil), Boca Juniors (Argentina), River Plate (Argentina)

UEFA (Europe): Chelsea (England), Manchester City (England), Atletico Madrid (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Benfica (Portugal), Porto (Portugal), Inter Milan (Italy), Juventus (Italy), Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)

Oceania Football Confederation: Auckland City (New Zealand)

The eight groups:

Group A: Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al-Ahly, Inter Miami

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica

Group D: Flamengo, Esperance Sportive de Tunis, Chelsea, Los Angeles FC

Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg

The venues

In alphabetical order: Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Charlotte, N.C. (TQL Stadium), Cincinnati (Bank of America Stadium), Los Angeles (Rose Bowl), Miami (Hard Rock Stadium), Nashville, Tenn. (GEODIS Park), New York/New Jersey (MetLife Stadium), Orlando, Fla. (Camping World Stadium) and Orlando (Inter&Co Stadium), Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field), Seattle (Lumen Field) and Washington D.C. (Audi Field).

$1 billion in prize money

Yes, that is correct, there is $1 billion in prize money at stake.

Nearly half of the $1 billion prize pot will be handed out based on sporting success with the finalists banking $30 million in merit payments for that game.

Teams will receive $1 million for each point earned in the group stage, $7.5 million for making the Round of 16, $13.125 million for qualifying for the quarterfinals and $21 million for reaching the semifinals. Clubs will earn $30 million to qualify for the final, with the winner receiving $40 million.

Each club also will receive participation money, based on their confederation.

Europe teams will get from $12.81 million-$38.19 million (determined by a ranking based on sporting and commercial criteria, according to FIFA)

The payouts for teams from the other confederations:

South America – $15.21 million

Concacaf – $9.55 million

Asia – $9.55 million

Africa – $9.55 million

Oceania – $3.58 million

But not everyone is happy.

Players on the three MLS clubs – Inter Miami CF, Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles FC – want more of a payout. The current CBA between the MLS Players Association and Major League Soccer calls for players to receive 50 percent of the bonus pay from outside competitions. The agreement, however, caps the total payout at $1 million.

During warm-ups for their June 1 home game against Minnesota, Seattle players wore “Club World Cup Ca$h Grab” shirts.

Sports Illustrated recently reported that MLSPA wanted 40 percent of the performance-based earnings.

As of Thursday, June 12, this issue had not been resolved.

Who are the contenders?

Paris Saint-Germain (France), only weeks off its drubbing of Inter Milan (Italy) in the UEFA Champions League final, must be considered near or at the top of teams that could take a victory lap at MetLife Stadium on July 13. Real Madrid and new head coach Xabi Alonso also could be in the mix as reports say the Spanish powerhouse is taking the tourney seriously.

Don’t count out Manchester City, the 2023 Club World Cup champions. Midfielder Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner and 2023 Club World Cup player of the tournament, is back after being sidelined most of the past season with an injury.

Botafogo, the defending Brazilian and Copa Libertadores champions, is expected to make a strong showing. Other teams to watch are Pachuca (Mexico), the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup winners, and Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), which has several former European stars and could surprise observers and fans.

A hard sell, so far

Ticket sales for the group stage have been slow, even in Miami, where MLS golden boy Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will play in the competition’s opener.

In January, the cheapest seat at Hard Rock Stadium cost $230 on Ticketmaster, which is FIFA’s official ticket sales platform. The price rose to $349 after the group draw. According to The Athletic, those same ticket prices fell to $55.

FIFA has offered Miami Dade College students $20 a ticket, but with the promise of as many as four complimentary tickets to help fill up the 65,326-seat Hard Rock Stadium, The Athletic reported on June 10.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino promised that the stadium will be filled.

“Yes, Hard Rock will be full,” he told reporters on June 10. “We will have a great atmosphere. It will be historic. It’ll be two historic teams for very different reasons. The stadium will be full. Well, as for every new venture that anyone tries to create in the world, there are always discussions, and you never really know what will happen.

“We were lucky enough…that we got great attention from sponsors and broadcasters so that when it comes to revenues, everything is perfectly secured. But I’m sure that all those who will come, and there are still tickets available, but many will go out these days.”

An “oversaturated” schedule

Not everyone is excited about the tournament.

Several European Leagues and FIFPRO, the global players’ union, have claimed that the soccer calendar is “oversaturated” and “risks player safety and wellbeing,” BBC Sports reported.

FIFA, however, has claimed otherwise.

“The FIFA Club World Cup is not responsible for calendar congestion,” a FIFA spokesperson told BBC Sport. “It is a competitive tournament that takes place once every four years and, as independent studies have verified, FIFA is only responsible for a small percentage of matches per season.”

But its critics have claimed the tournament adds to the number of matches for leading teams and players, when they should be resting for the next campaign.

“The issue is that UEFA and FIFA keep adding extra matches, and we can raise concerns, but no solutions have been found,” former Manchester City Kevin de Bruyne told reporters. “It seems that money speaks louder than the players’ voices.”

Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé wasn’t happy about playing for at least another month when he and his teammates could be resting up for the 2025-26 campaign.

“We play like already, 60 games in the year… you have so many competitions. And we are happy to play, but when it’s too much, it’s too much,” Mbappe told Sky Sports. “I think we have to respect the health of the players.”

Border patrol and ICE at the games

Over the years, the U.S. Customs & Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been involved policing major sporting events, such as the Super Bowl.

But with the Trump administration strongly enforcing immigration laws, which ignited prompting high-profile protests in Los Angeles recently, there are concerns that both organizations could go beyond their traditional security roles at the tournament.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), CBP wrote on June 4: “CBP will be suited and booted, ready to provide security for the first round of games.”

That post has since been deleted, but the organization reportedly is expected to attend the matches.

ICE told WTVJ-TV in Miami that its officers will assist with security for the opener at Hard Rock Stadium. The TV stadium reported that ICE reminded viewers that “non-American citizens need to carry proof of their legal status.”

On June 10, Infantino was asked if had concerns about fans being detained by ICE agents.

“No, I don’t have any concerns about anything in the sense that we are very attentive on any security question,” he replied. “Of course, the most important [thing] for us is to guarantee security for all the fans who come to the games. This is our priority. This is a priority of all the authorities who are here.”

The stars will come out

Twenty-six World Cup champions are slated to participate.

The biggest World Cup champion names include 2010 Spain victors Sergio Ramos (Monterrey) and Sergio Busquets (Inter Miami), 2014 German champs Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich) and Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), 2018 France winners Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Real Madrid), Olivier Giroud (LAFC) and Hugo Lloris (LAFC), and 2022 Argentina champions Ángel Di María (Benfica), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami).

A total of 81 countries are represented in the tournament.

The Messi factor

Whenever the Argentine legend steps on the field, there is always the expectation not only if he will produce a goal, but whether he will dazzle the crowd. Messi, who turns 38 on June 24, has been a menace and a half this season, when he has been healthy. Messi has been impressive with 10 goals and six assists in 13 appearances. He also is coming off consecutive MLS Player of the Matchday honor. While Messi has produced much magic in MLS, it is a question whether he can accomplish that in a high-quality club competition while keeping his health.

U.S. representation

Three teams from Major League Soccer will participate – the Seattle Sounders, Los Angeles FC and Inter Miami CF. They do have an advantage over many of their foes, as they are in mid-season form.

Inter Miami was a controversial selection by FIFA because it did not win the 2024 MLS Cup crown, the LA Galaxy did. But FIFA picked the south Florida side as the host team on the strength of it winning last year’s Supporters Shield as the league’s regular season champion. FIFA wanted the star power of Messi and company.

None of the MLS trio has been touted to go very far, but there are always surprises in big tournaments. Coached by former Argentina international Javier Mascherano, Inter Miami boasts a lineup of international superstars who are talented but are on the downside of their career. That includes Spanish internationals Sergio Busquets (36), Jordi Alba (36), Uruguayan standout Luis Suarez (38) and Messi. While they have had their moments domestically this season and have amazing resumes, their age could catch up to them against some of the world’s superior club sides, if Inter Miami gets out of its group. Miami, which is in third place in the Eastern Conference, has struggled this season and underachieved in the league with an 8-3-5 mark.

The Sounders, who have participated in two Club World Cups when the competition was smaller, qualified when they won the 2022 Concacaf Champions League crown. They can be physical. There is concern whether several injuries could catch up to the team, including veteran forward Jordan Morris, who has been hobbled by a hamstring injury. Head coach Brian Schmetzer, who has run the show since 2009, is considered one of the best coaches in MLS with his tactical acumen and ability to get the most out of his players. Seattle (7-6-5) is in sixth place in the Western Conference.

LAFC, the 2022 MLS Cup champions, was the final team to book a spot, behind a dramatic 2-1 extra-time win over Club América in a Play-In Game at BMO Stadium on June 1. Denis Bouanga connected the game-winning goal in the 115th minute. The team is guided by former U.S. international defender Steve Cherundolo. LAFC (7-4-5). LAFC can play a free-wheeling game when it finds its rhythm, is in fifth place in the Western Conference.

There are 33 Americans on the three MLS clubs – Seattle (14), LAFC (12) and Inter Miami (seven).

Who else from the U.S.?

Besides the three MLS clubs, seven U.S. Men’s National Team players are on Club World Cup rosters. They include Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie and forward (and all-purpose man) Tim Weah, Borussia Dortmund midfielder-forward Gio Reyna are among the high-profile participants. Other Americans include Cole Campbell and Albert Mathis (both Borussia Dortmund), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea) and Joshua Wynder (Benfica).

How to watch

If they’re not attending games, U.S. soccer fans have a choice. They can watch matches on cable via TNT Sports or DAZN via streaming.

TNT Sports’ networks TNT, TBS and truTV will televise 24 of the tournament’s matches in the states while all 63 fixtures will be broadcast for free on DAZN.