Tonight marks the start of FIFA’s most recent show, the Club World Cup, a glittering competition with 32 top teams from around the world. A staggering 868 million euros in prize money is up for grabs, with the final winners taking home more than 100 million euros in gold. Even if some people find the tournament’s sporting appeal to be as captivating as watching paint dry, clubs have jumped in with renewed zest due to this enormous cash lure.
Al Ahly and Inter Miami are scheduled to square off at two in the morning tomorrow, kicking off the action. The tournament’s enormous cash pool keeps it in the spotlight despite a somewhat ambivalent reception in the United States, which pushed FIFA to lower ticket costs. Fans may be disappointed by the significant omissions, though, as Barcelona, Liverpool, and Napoli—who are currently leading La Liga, the Premier League, and Serie A, respectively—are not represented on this dance program.
With a five-year pause brought on by the epidemic, this tournament’s journey has been as rough as an unpaved road. Schedules have been rearranged like a deck of cards to squeeze this huge fiesta into the offseason, including creating a special transfer window for the candidates. To strengthen their ranks, heavyweights like Real Madrid and Manchester City have already spent like it’s Christmas, spending 70 million and 130 million euros, respectively.
Unquestionably, this month-long festival’s financial glitter is what draws people in. Based on their heroics on the field, European clubs have already earned a cool 10 million euros apiece, and they have a chance to triple that amount. They receive 1.9 million euros for each group stage triumph, and the stakes only get higher: 7 million for the round of 16, 12.2 million for the quarterfinals, 19.5 million for the semifinals, and a hefty 27.9 million for the winners. This is a payout of over 100 million euros, which would make any club swoon. The ultimate winner receives an additional 37.9 million euros.
The 32 teams are split up into eight groups and will be traveling through 12 stadiums, mostly on the East Coast of the United States. The main exceptions are fields in distant Pasadena and Seattle, with three locations in Florida—Miami and Orlando—serving ardent Latin American fans. The epic MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which can accommodate 82,000 spectators, will host the semifinals and final. It is prepared to stage the show’s climactic moments.
