Club World Cup: Show Me the Money! | OneFootball

We all know that clubs participate in off-season tournaments like the Club World Cup because of their limitless love for the beautiful game, and the opportunity to place a shiny bauble in their trophy case. Nah, we don’t buy it either. It all comes down to one thing: the money.

The idea of flying a squad, trainers, coaches and staff across the globe to (at minimum) compete in three additional matches with 50+ already played is a much easier pill to swallow when you see the eye-popping revenues that are bestowed upon the participating clubs. So how much are we talking about? Well, the event compensation package is somewhere in neighborhood of $1.25B (yes, billion with a “B”). That’s a LOT of dosh. But of course these assets are divvied up, and if you buckle up we’re going to break down the tournament economics.

Largesse 1: The Participation Pool ($525 million)

This slush fund guarantees each of the 32 participating clubs a base payment, with amounts varying by confederation and club ranking based on “sporting and commercial criteria.” In other words, the more competitive and popular your are, the larger your payout. Unsurprisingly, European teams receive the largest shares but here’s the full breakdown by confederation.

These “participation” fees alone ensure significant financial rewards. Sure, European giants will earn up to four times more than smaller confederation clubs before playing a match, but let’s not discount how these funds can still make a difference. For example, Botafogo (CONMEBOL) secures $15.21M. This represents nearly a quarter of their 2023 annual revenue ($63M). South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns will earn the same $15.21M, but for a club whose operating expenses are estimated at approximately $12-14M per year, this represents a sizable fiscal boost.

Clubs aren’t getting a trophy for showing up, they’re getting PAID!

Largesse #2: Sporting Performance Pool ($475 million)

This pool rewards teams based on their progress in the tournament, with payments tied to wins, draws, and advancement through the seven-match format (three group stage games, plus potential knockout rounds: round of 16, quarter-final, semi-final, and final). The breakdown is equitable across confederations, ensuring performance-based earnings are not influenced by a club’s origin. Right on, FIFA! Equitable payouts. Now you’re talking!

The performance pool incentivizes competitive success. So a team that wins all seven matches (three group stage games, four knockout rounds) earns a cool $87.62M JUST in performance-based cash.

Combined with participation fees, this results in the following potential maximum earnings:

Largess #3: Solidarity Investment Program ($250 million)

Technically, this isn’t a part of the tournament prize pool, as this wad of dough has been allocated to support non-participating clubs globally, with the aim to “make football truly global.” Establishment of a solidarity fund like this is unprecedented, but lacks detailed public disclosure on distribution criteria. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has stated it will benefit clubs worldwide, potentially through confederations or direct grants, but specifics on recipients, amounts, or timelines remain unclear. The fund is intended to address concerns about financial inequalities, particularly for smaller clubs in regions like Oceania or Africa, but its implementation will be critical to achieving this goal.

Where Does All this Money Come From?

The majority of the prize pool has been underwritten and supported from selling the exclusive global broadcast rights to DAZN. This deal (also worth $1B) was finalized back in December 2024. Reportedly, other contributors included Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

FIFA claims it will retain no revenue from the tournament, with all funds distributed to participating clubs or the solidarity program. It also claims that its reserves for global football development will remain untouched. Of course, FIFA still makes a profit off other marketing and sponsorship deals, as well as getting cut off the box office take, so let’s not applaud them for their civic-mindedness just yet.

In terms of how the Club World Cup measures up against other large global soccer tournaments, it’s a very big deal. While not quite as lucrative as UEFA’s Champions League (with a total prize pool of $2.4B) it actually eclipses the $440M in prize money for the FIFA World Cup. And the $40M check for the winner does represent the single-most valuable prize for a single game of soccer.

The Club World Cup: A Global Showdown

I would be remiss if I did not include a plug for Hooligan Soccer’s new podcast devoted exclusively to covering this event. You can find links to our pre-tournament coverage of all the groups here. Please subscribe, like or follow wherever you get your podcasts.