FIFA president Gianni Infantino has organized an emergency meeting with global television executives for Friday as he tries to drum up interest in the FIFA Club World Cup, with the world governing body so far failing to announce a single broadcast deal for the tournament.
Multiple industry sources, who spoke anonymously to protect business relations, say the president’s personal involvement signifies the level of anxiety that has gripped the organization ahead of the inaugural reorganized 32-team Club World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in the United States between June. 15 and 13 July 2025.
At this stage, however, FIFA is yet to announce broadcasters, venues, training bases or sponsors for the tournament, which is nine months away.
Clubs competing in the 32-team tournament – including Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea – are also yet to be formally informed of the participation or prize money that will be available at the competition. The Athletics Europe’s biggest clubs have been said to have budgeted anticipated earnings in excess of $50m (£37.6m), and in some cases significantly more, however it is increasingly unclear how FIFA will finance this.
FIFA had previously been in discussions with Apple about global streaming to broadcast the tournament but that deal was not completed, meaning FIFA then had to open a tender in July this year to attract broadcast sponsors from around the world to take on the first two. editions of the Club World Cup in 2025 and 2029.
GO DEEPER
One year until the Club World Cup in the USA – what’s going on?
However, two months on, and FIFA is yet to announce any deals, with sources within the broadcasting industry stating that FIFA’s financial expectations are very different to the value currently perceived by TV networks and streaming platforms, with the final weeks of the tournament also conflict with. big-ticket events including the women’s European Championships and Wimbledon next summer.
The broadcasters have doubts about the audience’s familiarity with the Club World Cup, while there are also concerns that some of the world’s most popular teams, notably Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona and AC Milan, have not qualified for the competition. .
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr also failed to qualify, while Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami’s involvement is in the balance, and FIFA is yet to announce how it plans to allocate the final host (USA) spot for the tournament. The expectation is that it will go to the winners of this season’s MLS Cup.
The Athletics previously reported that one major US media company with a significant sports portfolio was so unconvinced of the merits of the competition that it valued the North American rights at around $30 million.
this week, The Athletics asked David Berson, the president and CEO of CBS Sports, if it is looking at the Club World Cup, since it already has a $1.5 billion deal over the next six years to broadcast UEFA club competitions including the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League , as well as the Italian Serie A and English Football League (EFL).
He said: “We will look at all the properties that come up. I’m not trying to avoid it, but it will be on a case-by-case basis based on the value of that. The reality is that we now have outstanding European football content almost all year round. So we have to see what is the incremental value for that period of time.
“And I will tell you that the new format for UEFA (club competitions) is even longer. It is close to 50 percent or so more matches. It’s more of the big teams against each other. So there’s a lot of volume there. So we determine whether or not the incremental content you’re referring to is worthwhile and would add value. But we’re thrilled with the portfolio we have.”
GO DEEPER
The Champions League is back: Your guide to its new format, stories, tactics and how to watch
FIFA president Infantino is now holding an information call for global broadcast executives on Friday, where he will be joined by Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who will attend in his role as president of the European Club Association (ECA). ). The ECA is essentially a lobbying organization that represents the interests of clubs that compete regularly in major UEFA club competitions and the ECA previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding with FIFA in March 2023, after which Al-Khelaifi said, according to the FIFA website: “FIFA and ECA will also now establish closer working practices on a future new Club World Cup, including ending the sporting competition. and commercial aspects for the 2025 edition, and working together on future editions including possible structures to manage the commercial rights going forward.”
Infantino said that “close cooperation with clubs in Europe, and the rest of the world, will be essential for the success of these events”.
PSG president and president of the ECA Nasser Al-Khelaifi (Mehmet Eser/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Yet almost eighteen months on, clubs were deeply frustrated by FIFA appearing to seek to do much of the work internally without informing them regularly of progress or what to expect when the tournament came around. Al-Khelaifi’s presence at the call on Friday is an indication that FIFA is now trying to bring the clubs into the room after failing so far to make the necessary agreements.
FIFA’s struggle to get the tournament off the ground has been encapsulated by the fact that the organization has even changed the official name of the tournament, first marketing it as Mundial de Clubes FIFA, including in official statements on its website, but now changing the trademark. name to the anglicized “FIFA Club World Cup” to try to ignite sponsorship and broadcast interest.
FIFA also has ongoing challenges to stimulate sponsor interest in the tournament, firstly because sponsors want to know the venues for the tournament – which are nearing but have yet to be announced – as well as the broadcast arrangements for the tournament, which both will be. define the level of exposure associated with the competition.
The Athletics also previously reported that FIFA has experienced challenges from existing sponsors who argue that they have already acquired the rights to “other FIFA tournaments” through their sponsorship of the international World Cup, while FIFA believes that this should be treated as a completely new competition and theme to fresh sponsorship arrangements and additional payments.
The broadcast and commercial income would appear to be key to driving the necessary revenue to appease major club sides who have an extra month added to their season to play in the competition. This has created concerns for clubs who wonder how FIFA will provide the necessary income for their clubs to take the competition seriously, leading many to wonder if a financial partner can come in, or if FIFA itself may have to self-finance the first. tournament as an investment and hope it leads to future growth down the line.
FIFA is also facing legal challenges from three of the biggest players’ unions in European football after they described the new Club World Cup as a “tipping point” in the demands placed on its members. The English Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), the Italian Players’ Union (AIC) and their French counterparts, the Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels, argue that players’ rights are being breached under EU laws after FIFA added its new 32-club a competition until the end of the 2024-25 season. FIFPro, the global football players’ union, is also supporting the case with action starting at the Brussels Commercial Court.
FIFA declined to issue a formal statement but a spokesman insisted progress was being made and FIFA looked forward to sharing more details in due course.
(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
