All that can be said with certainty about the future of the Club World Cup is that it is not going away. The 24-carat gold Tiffany trophy presented to Reece James by Donald Trump in New Jersey, in one of the most surreal scenes seen in a sports stadium, will be up for grabs again in four years. The event could well be bigger, Fifa intends it to be better and the presentation will surely not be as brash.
Gianni Infantino was widely criticised for imposing the Club World Cup on an indifferent sporting public, against a backdrop of hostility from players’ unions and domestic leagues, but his belief that top clubs would back his vision has been vindicated, albeit largely because of the $1bn (£740m) prize fund. With Chelsea banking £85m for winning seven matches, others are keen for a slice of the pie.
