At the start of the Club World Cup: What you need to know

The Club World Cup was not under a good star from the start. It got off to a stuttering start in Brazil in 2000. Although the relaunched tournament promised an annual signing bonus of 2.5 million US dollars, several top European clubs soon boycotted the additional burden. The tournament was on the verge of being canceled shortly after its inception. Even though it was finally resumed in 2004 and has been held annually since then, it still suffers from a severe inferiority complex. In Europe, the Club World Cup is still given little importance. FIFA is now resolutely countering this threat with its restructured competition. How? With money. Lots of money. The world governing body distributes 500 million dollars in signing bonuses alone, and another 500 million are performance bonuses. According to CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen, FC Bayern, for example, already receives 30 million dollars for participation. For every game won or for reaching the next knockout round, millions more are paid out. The tournament winner will receive another $40 million. If we do the math, FC Bayern could leave America in four weeks with $125 million in their bag. Clubs usually have to complete an entire Champions League season (including winning the title) to achieve this.

Of course, there's also a little gold to be won for your home display case. The trophy features Sun King Gianni Infantino's name engraved twice, and the FIFA president has also added his signature. In addition to his scrawls, there's still room for 24 winner's engravings. This means the trophy could be used for 90 years.

The Club World Cup record holder is the Argentinian Emiliano Tade, who participated in nine tournaments between 2009 and 2023 – for Auckland City, by far the smallest club among this year's participants. The market value of the entire team is €4.58 million. That's roughly the same amount as the monthly amount an average Bayern Munich player burns on their gas card. The Munich squad is worth €900 million. They'll face each other on Sunday. Do you still have fingernails? Ours are already bitten down to the base.

The Club World Cup is currently rolling over everything existing like a steamroller. FIFA isn't particularly concerned that the U21 European Championship and, soon, the Women's European Championship are running at the same time. Nor is the start of the Gold Cup and the Copa Libertadores. The two tournaments in the rest of the Americas are also getting in the way of the Club World Cup. FIFA is even breaking one of its most sacred rules: clubs are not required to release their national team players during the Club World Cup. It couldn't be clearer: Infantino's tournament has the highest priority. Which is why the national leagues are also sickening. A legal dispute with FIFA is currently underway: the world governing body of leagues, together with the players' union Fifpro, is demanding a say in how the calendar is filled.

The tournament also demands real organizational talent from club managers. Because there is a scheduling problem: The Club World Cup takes place from June 14 to July 13. However, expiring contracts end on June 30. This prompted FIFA to open an additional transfer window. During this window, FIFA president Gianni Infantino tried until the last minute to place Cristiano Ronaldo with a participating club. Without success. The tournament will take place without Ronaldo, but with Leroy Sané. Although the winger has signed with Galatasaray Istanbul, he will play for FC Bayern in the Club World Cup. It's hard to imagine what will happen in Turkey if the clumsy full-back from Auckland City severed Sané's Achilles tendon with the score at 8-0. Insurance agent, please provide information.

Time to address the elephant in the room: hardly anyone is interested in the tournament. Or at least not as many as Infantino hoped. FIFA is expecting two billion dollars in prize money – 500 million of which it has factored in from ticket sales. The problem: tickets are sitting like lead on the shelves. Hardly a single match has sold out so far. FIFA is relying on "dynamic pricing", which means: the higher the demand, the more expensive the tickets. And so far, it's backfiring badly. There are apparently still tickets for the opening game for 30 dollars. Six months ago they cost just under 350. How is that possible? Is it because Americans aren't all that interested in matches like Al-Ahly vs. Inter Miami and Red Bull Salzburg vs. CF Pachuca? Good heavens! Who would have guessed? But, but. Necessity is the mother of invention: That's why FIFA is now offering packages that give buyers priority access to tickets for the 2026 World Cup, which, as we know, is also being held in the USA. Brilliant! Just like another offer FIFA is using to attract potential buyers: If someone attends 20 Club World Cup matches, they have first refusal to buy a ticket for the final of next year's World Cup. However, only if the opening match or the final is among the 20 Club World Cup matches attended. Hah!

To prevent the tournament from looking like the Audi Cup, which fills the summer lull, FIFA has come up with another trick. Because some matches are selling so poorly, ticket websites only show prospective buyers seats in sections that are visible during the TV broadcast. By manipulating ticket sales, it's supposed to at least appear on TV that people are interested in the Club World Cup.

The authoritarian approach of US President Donald Trump is also casting a shadow over the Club World Cup. Trump has imposed a blanket travel ban on several countries. Players, coaches, and staff are largely exempt, but fans are not. "Everyone is welcome," claims Gianni Infantino. But in reality, he only means the foreigners who appeal to Donald Trump. Those affected by the tightened entry regulations include fans of Boca Juniors. The Argentinian Minister of National Security has presented the Americans with a list of over 15,000 people who are banned from entering the country. They are alleged to be violent fans. But Boca player Aryton Costa was also denied entry. He was allegedly involved in criminal proceedings for attempted robbery in 2018.

The Club World Cup is scheduled to take place every four years in the future. The next global tournament is planned for 2029. And in the meantime? Is Gianni Infantino putting his feet up? Taking a sabbatical in a picturesque Riyadh? No, of course not. Because even after the Club World Cup, the annual draw will determine who can officially call themselves the best club team in the world. The mini-tournament, which takes place at the end of each season, is now called the somewhat cumbersome "FIFA International Cup"; it was formerly known as the "World Cup." And in 2026, there will be another premiere – the Women's Club World Cup is scheduled to begin.

We at 11FREUNDE are still undecided about the extent to which we will cover this tournament journalistically. On the one hand, as football fans, we're reluctant to believe that the idea for this competition originated somewhere in Gianni Infantino's power-driven mind and was concocted in Saudi Arabian backrooms. On the other hand, the Club World Cup gives us the opportunity to watch Boca versus Bayern or Dortmund versus Fluminense. That could be pretty cool, too. Maybe. Or to put it in the words of Franz Beckenbauer, who liked to declare unpleasant tournaments as loser contests: Let's see, then we'll see.