New Delhi: The FIFA Club World Cup’s newly expanded format may have got mixed opinions, but for the 32 clubs involved, it was a financial jackpot they couldn’t ignore.
The tournament’s massive $1bn prize pool provided welcome funds for clubs across the globe with $525m handed out as participation fees and $475m distributed based on performances.
European clubs received the highest participation fee between $12.81m to $38.19m while clubs from South America received around $15.21m with Asia, Africa and North Central American clubs taking about $9.55m, and Oceania getting just $3.58m.
FIFA hasn’t revealed the individual amount given to European clubs as per the calculations done from taking estimates from the football finance website, The Swiss Ramble, based on UEFA’s club coefficient system. Tournament winners Chelsea £84m while runner-up Paris Saint-Germain made £78.4m. Real Madrid bagged £67m during their run. On average, European clubs took home £39m while South American clubs made £24m on average, thanks to impressive performances like Fluminense’s run to the semi-finals.
While these figures may seem small for giants like Real Madrid, as it was just four per cent of their 2024 figure of £901m while for part-time side Auckland City earned £3.3m, which is seven times their annual revenue of £488,000.
How it helped transfers
For many clubs, this cash directly boosted their transfer budgets. Under UEFA rules, clubs can only spend 70% of their revenue on wages and transfers, meaning that for every £50m earned, an extra £35m is available for player recruitment.
Chelsea, for instance, spent £198m on summer signings including Joao Pedro and Liam Delap with £84m of that essentially covered by their Club World Cup earnings. Borussia Dortmund, who earned £57.9m from their quarter-final run used the funds to cover over 65% of their summer spending including the £27m fee paid to Sunderland for Jobe Bellingham.
Even Manchester City, who exited in the last 16 still earned £38m which went towards their £31m deal for Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves. Meanwhile, Real Madrid recouped the £8.4m paid to Liverpool for bringing Trent Alexander-Arnold early, all thanks to their tournament draw.
Welcome boost but concerns remain
While the tournament was a clear financial success for the clubs, experts like Kieran Maguire noted it raises concerns about competitive balance, particularly for smaller leagues like New Zealand’s, where Auckland City’s windfall could tilt the playing field.
It’s a reminder that while accountants and club owners celebrate the financial boost the packed schedules that make these rewards possible continue to put strain on players, managers and fans alike.