FIFA's Club World Cup finally faces the ultimate test

With an eye-watering US$1 billion in prize money, some of the biggest stars in the game and clubs competing from across the globe, FIFA's new Club World Cup has all the ingredients to be a huge event.

But the 32-team tournament, which will be played across the USA from June 14 to July 13, has faced criticism and scepticism since the moment FIFA president Gianni Infantino began to float the idea.

As a completely new arrival in an already crowded football landscape it remains to be seen whether the competition proves able to carve out a regular place in the calendar.

Players representatives, such as global union FIFPRO, have warned of excessive workload on players while others have questioned whether fans will turn out in big enough numbers for the group stage fixtures.

"Players will have to perform at the end of an 11-month season with little prospect of getting enough rest before the following season starts," FIFPRO warned when FIFA formally announced the tournament in 2023.

Certainly the event adds to an already busy schedule for the world's top players. Inter Milan's Marcus Thuram and Paris Saint-Germain's Désiré Doué both played in UEFA's Champions League final on May 31 and then switched shirts to represent their country in the Nations League finals in Germany days later.

They have since rejoined their clubs for the new FIFA tournament in which both sides are expected to advance to the latter stages.

Those games late in the tournament, likely to feature the top European clubs against the best South American sides, should draw big crowds but it remains to be seen how well ticket sales go for the group-stage games with less globally famous clubs from Asia, North America and Africa included.

Captivated

Fixtures such as the June 17 encounter in Orlando between South Korean club Ulsan HD and South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns will certainly require all the power of US marketing to attract a full house.

But FIFA hopes that with broadcasters DAZN offering free streaming of the tournament and the lure of giant club and player brands, fans around the world will be captivated by the new competition.

"We are talking about something never seen before (that will) bring the magic of a national team World Cup to the club level," Infantino said.

"This tournament will be the beginning of something historic, something that will change our sport for the better and for all future generations who will come to love it as we do," he added.

In an era when players drive interest as much as, if not more than clubs, the involvement of stars such as Lionel Messi, Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappé should ensure social media is buzzing.

Twelve of the 32 teams come from Europe including freshly crowned Champions League winners PSG, the continent's most successful club Real Madrid, Premier League giants Manchester City and Chelsea, and German powerhouses Bayern Munich.

South America's six teams are made up of four Brazilian clubs, including Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo and their Rio de Janeiro rivals Flamengo, along with Argentina's two biggest clubs River Plate and Boca Juniors.

Adding local interest, there are three teams from Major League Soccer – Los Angeles FC, the Seattle Sounders and Messi's Inter Miami, as well as a pair of clubs from Mexico in Pachuca and Monterrey, who can expect plenty of support in the USA.

Four clubs represent Africa, including Egypt's storied Al Ahly who open the tournament against Messi and Miami on June 14, while Asia's quartet includes Saudi club Al-Hilal.

US fans regularly snaffle up tickets for the big European teams who come to NFL stadiums to play pre-season friendly games and so the added competitive element should see healthy crowds for the headline performers.

Questions over how seriously the clubs would take the new competition became somewhat muted after FIFA announced the huge prize fund.

The billion dollars are split between participation fees for all clubs and the rewards for those going deep in the tournament. The winner could leave with as much as US$125 million.

FIFA's current plan is for the tournament to be held every four years but it will be interesting to see if that changes after the first test of its appeal.

If it is a flop, the critics will likely re-appear and question whether it is needed at all but should it be a roaring success, it is not hard to imagine some at FIFA pushing for it to be held on a more regular basis.

How have teams qualified for the Club World Cup?

The new-look FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in the United States this weekend with 32 teams from around the globe taking part. 

With 12 representatives, Europe is sending more teams than any other continent, followed by South America with six. Asia and Africa both have four competing teams, as does the CONCACAF region of North and Central America and the Caribbean. In addition, there is one club from Oceania while the line-up is completed by a representative from the host nation.

There are two ways of qualifying for the tournament, which football's world governing body now intends to stage every four years – either as continental champions or via a club ranking based on performances in continental competitions over a four-year period.

Continental champions
The following 16 teams qualified as continental champions over the period from 2021 to 2024:

– UEFA Champions League winners: Chelsea (ENG/2021), Real Madrid (ESP/2022 and 2024), Manchester City (ENG/2023)
– Copa Libertadores winners: Palmeiras (BRA/2021), Flamengo (BRA/2022), Fluminense (BRA/2023), Botafogo (BRA/2024)
– AFC Champions League winners: Al Hilal (KSA/2021), Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN/2022), Al Ain (UAE/2023 and 2024)
– CONCACAF Champions League winners: Monterrey (MEX/2021), Seattle Sounders (USA/2022), Pachuca (MEX/2024)
– CAF Champions League winners: Al Ahly (EGY/2021, 2023 and 2024), Wydad Casablanca (MAR/2022)
– OFC Champions League winners: Auckland City (NZL/2022, 2023 and 2024)

Best four-year rankings
The following 14 teams qualified via their performances in continental club competitions over the last four years:
– Europe: Bayern Munich (Germany), Paris Saint-Germain (France), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Inter Milan (Italy), Porto (Portugal), Atlético Madrid (Spain), Benfica (Portugal), Juventus (Italy), Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)
– South America: River Plate (Argentina), Boca Juniors (Argentina)
– Asia: Ulsan HD (South Korea)
– Africa: Esperance (Tunisia), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)

Host representatives
That leaves two berths, both of which have gone to teams who will be playing on home turf. Perhaps conveniently for FIFA as they look to get eyeballs on their new competition, Lionel Messi's Inter Miami are the designated representatives of the host nation. That is after they won the Supporters Shield for being the best performing side during the 2024 MLS regular season – even though LA Galaxy went on to win the MLS Cup to determine the overall champions. Los Angeles FC claimed the last spot with a 2-1 extra-time victory against Club America of Mexico in a play-in match at the end of last month. The spot became available following FIFA's decision to ban Mexico's Club León from the tournament. León were barred because the club is owned by Grupo Pachuca, which also controls Liga MX side Pachuca, who are also taking part. LAFC were given the chance on the basis of finishing as runners-up to Leon in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League.