Club World Cup: FIFA Pledges $1 Bn in Total Prize Money for 32 Teams

FIFA pledged $1 billion in total prize money to the 32 teams competing in the men's Club World Cup in the United States.

The long-awaited confirmation on Wednesday, just over three months before the opening game in Miami, comes after a late-breaking agreement with streaming service DAZN, which is backed by Saudi Arabian money.

Clubs in Europe, including Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain, had asked FIFA for promises that the month-long tournament would earn them tens of millions of dollars. FIFA made no mention of the prize money formula.

The first edition of the four-year club event will generate $2 billion in revenue, according to FIFA's financial report for 2024, and will include solidarity funding payments to qualifying teams.

According to FIFA, ticket and hospitality sales of $500 million are expected across the 63 Club World Cup games, which will be played in 12 American cities.

Teams qualified through four seasons of winning titles, or consistent results in soccer's continental club championships, until 2024.FIFA awarded Inter Miami and Lionel Messi a host-nation entry for the team's regular season record in Major League Soccer.

Club World Cup money is expected to increase the soccer body's four-year budgeted income to $13 billion by the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

FIFA records its income from broadcast deals and the majority of its sponsorship deals during the year a tournament is held. The financial report, which will be released early in 2027, will provide a complete picture of the company's finances.

FIFA announced that its president, Gianni Infantino, will be paid 2.6 million Swiss francs ($2.92 million) in 2024, an increase of 140,000 Swiss francs ($157,000).

His annual bonus of 1.65 million Swiss francs ($1.85 million) remained the same as in 2023, totaling 4.25 million Swiss francs ($4.77 million).