The words ‘Club World Cup’ have an interesting effect on me. As soon as I hear them, I instantly switch off. Zone out. Not interested. Move on. Next, please.
Even when FIFA announced that it was launching a 32-club version of the current iteration, it barely registered. Perhaps because I support a club who have never, and may never play in this competition, perhaps because the revamped tournament was, at that point, 18 months away, perhaps because the Club World Cup is about as exciting and meaningful to me as Arsenal's Emirates Cup.
But as we approach the 12-month countdown to the (still to be officially named) Club World Cup 2025, I found my curiosity piqued by news that Apple were rumoured to be on the verge of paying a billion dollars for exclusive broadcast rights to the competition.
The Land of Opportunity
The summer tournament will take part in the USA, a fantastic country to visit and one where football is genuinely catching on in a ‘purpose-built-stadium-Lionel-Messi’ kind of way rather than a ‘Diana-Ross-penalty-baseball-stadium’ kind of way.
The Club World Cup is the perfect dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup which will be spread across Canada, America and Mexico and, for obvious reasons, holds more appeal than the destinations of the previous two World Cups. World Cup 2026 could be a legendary soccer feast – world football’s equivalent of a tin of celebrations.
Most* of the big boys will be in there: 12 European clubs (two each from the big six biggest leagues, the four Champions League winners since 2021 (hi Chelsea) six clubs from South America, including the Copa Libertadores winners between 2021 and 2024; four from the North, Central America and Caribbean confederations, four clubs each from Africa and Asia, one club from Oceania, with (and, in a hilariously unsubtle touch, one guest club from the host country – hello Miami and Messi!)
*but not Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona or AC Milan
The billion dollar question
Rumours abound that Apple are on the verge of securing worldwide broadcast rights for this soccer shindig via a landmark deal that could be worth over a billion dollars to FIFA. (Incredibly, this is $3 billion short of the figure FIFA hoped it might reach). The deal could begin Apple’s anticipated football and sports broadcast dominance, having dipped their toe with an exclusive deal to stream every MLS game exclusively for ten years.
This would be a luxury streaming option for FIFA, but it isn’t a done deal yet. Another school of thought is for FIFA to do a deal with a platform like YouTube which would enable more fans to watch for free and potentially send viewing figures through the roof.
FIFA need this tournament to be a success, and success equates to eyeballs, so while there is a financial incentive to do a deal with Apple, putting the new format behind a paywall could kill it before a ball is even kicked.
This might actually be good
Winning the re-vamped tournament (eight groups of four with two progressing to a round of 16) will give one club a genuine cause to brand itself ‘best in the world’ and who wouldn’t want that on their marketing material?
The old format put the winners of continental competitions into a single elimination tournament, but European and South American winners didn’t enter until the semi-final stage. Boringly arrogant.
The competition’s format has been tweaked in the years since it’s formation in 2000, but of the 20 winners, 16 have come from Europe. Are European teams really so much stronger? Let’s throw everyone into a ‘World Cup’ and find out!
Summers with football = better. Manchester City, Monterrey, Madrid and Mamelodi Sundowns in a round-robin group – why not?
Another FIFA faux-pas?
Obviously, hosting a new 32-club tournament in America during the summer seriously undercuts the rest and recovery time of the players participating. A point not lost on FIFPRO, the world players’ union, who immediately released a strong statement in December, denouncing the summer competition, saying it “demonstrates a lack of consideration for the mental and physical health of participating players, as well as a disregard for their personal and family lives.”
But a darker red flag, for me, are the dates. The new Club World Cup is set to run from 15 June to 13 July. The Women’s 2025 Euros take place in Switzerland from 2 July to 27 July. It’s an 11-day overlap that really should be avoided.
Speaking at the conclusion of the Women’s World Cup in Sydney last summer, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, on the topic of equality between men’s and women’s football: “Pick the right battles. Pick the right fights. You have the power to change. You have the power to convince us men what we have to do and what we don't have to do. You do it. Just do it.
“With men, with FIFA, you will find open doors. Just push the doors. They are open.” If Infantino is serious about equality, he could start by giving the women’s game the necessary space it needs to grow organically.
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