Just when you thought the soccer fixture calendar couldn’t get any more packed, along comes the 2025 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup. But it’s not just global bragging rights and a glitzy gold trophy created by luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co that’s up for grabs; there’s also a whole lot of prize money to grease the wheels.
Originally launched in 2000 as an eight-team tournament, the Club World Cup was relaunched in 2005 with participation from FIFA’s six continental confederations and one team from the host nation. However, the event has been reimagined for 2025 by the controversial FIFA president Gianni Infantino. This new version will see 32 teams from around the world compete to be world champions during a four-week-long event hosted in the United States between June 15 and July 13, 2025.
If your club is playing, you may wonder what’s in it for you—apart from the increased injury risk to an already overstretched squad. This article will reveal how much your club could collect from participation to qualification from each round to even winning the whole darn thing. We’ll compare Club World Cup earnings to revenue from other major tournaments. We’ll also explore what clubs will be looking to do with their hard-earned prize money, from investing in stadiums to dropping the lot on a shiny new world-class striker.
What is the Total Prize Money Pool for the FIFA Club World Cup?
The big news about this reimagining of the FIFA Club World Cup is the vastly increased size of the honey pot. Whereas in 2023, there was a paltry $16 million in prize money, this has since ballooned to a total of $2.65 billion, making the Club World Cup one of the most lucrative tournaments in world soccer.
Here’s how the money will get parceled out. Each of the 32 teams participating will receive around $50 million just for turning up, and there will be additional results-based bonuses available. The winner, meanwhile, will earn a whopping $100 million. That’s a far cry from the previous iteration of the tournament when winners picked up $5 million, the runners-up $4 million, with $2.5 million for third place, $2 million for fourth, $1.5 million for fifth and $1 million for sixth.
Exact details of how the prize money will be allocated in 2025 have not been published yet. The big clubs had previously received assurances that revenue for participation could reach $80 million. This lack of clarity is in line with much of the vagueness that surrounds this new version of the tournament. Many of the financial details are still up in the air as funding for the tournament remains unclear.
FIFA opened a bidding tender for broadcast rights in July 2024 after reports that conversations with Apple had collapsed. Their $1 billion offer allegedly failed to hit the mark as FIFA President Infantino was looking for a number closer to $4 billion. Funding for the competition may now come from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund via investment in FIFA’s streaming platform—but as yet, nothing has been confirmed.
How Does the FIFA Club World Cup Prize Money Compare to Other Tournaments?
FIFA have been extremely bold in making the winner’s $100 million prize fund the biggest in world soccer. In the 2023–24 season, Real Madrid took home just $89 million after winning every single match along their way to becoming Champions League winners. Significantly, UEFA have upped their pot from $2.19 billion prize money to $2.71 billion for the 2024–25 campaign, perhaps in response to the rivalry from the FIFA World Cup.
In comparison, the recent Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo collected $31,340,000 for their triumph. This figure included $23m for winning the final against Atlético Mineiro in what the president of the South American Soccer Confederation described as the “best-paid match in the world."
In terms of national leagues, the Premier League is renowned for being the game’s most lucrative, with victors Manchester City pocketing $79 million last term.
Why Prize Money Matters for Clubs
The Club World Club has its critics because of the pressure the extra fixtures will place on players’ physical and mental well-being, the prize money will appeal to club owners. The proceeds will help top clubs to invest in their infrastructure and attract the best players. But one of the main intentions of FIFA is to help distribute money to smaller clubs throughout the rest of the world.
Beyond the 12 European teams, the tournament will feature six South American clubs, Africa, Asia, and North and Central America will all get four slots, and Oceania will be given one. Meanwhile, the final place has been allocated to the USA as the host nation. Controversially, this spot has been allocated to Inter Miami in the hope that Lionel Messi will star.
Several clubs have famously leveraged their Club World Cup success for transformative changes. For example, after becoming the first team from outside Europe or South America to reach the final in 2010, DR Congo’s TP Mazembe used the windfall to develop its infrastructure and improve its academy, helping it to become a dominant force in African soccer. Similarly, Japan’s Kashima Antlers followed their runner-up finish in 2016 by investing in their stadium and training facilities, solidifying their position as a top J-League club.
Gianni Infantino has repeatedly stated his goal to make soccer “truly global”, but the nature of world soccer means this tournament is inevitably dominated by the richest sides. The last 11 finals have all been won by European clubs, and Real Madrid and Barcelona have been crowned champions for over half of those. Despite attempting to redistribute the game’s wealth around the world, the FIFA Club World Cup somehow manages to also ensure the opposite happens—helping the elite to sit oh so comfortably on top of their throne.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Prize Money Breakdown.
