Sleepless nights and empty seats: FIFA's broken Club World Cup

IOL News

a day ago

Making the Club World Cup great again? FIFA president Gianni Infantino presents the FIFA Club World Cup trophy to United States president Donald Trump in the Oval Office in the White House. Photo:/AFP
Image:/AFP
The FIFA Club World Cup gets underway this weekend. In the opening match of the revamped tournament, Egypt's Al Ahly will take on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
In theory, this should be monumental – the world's best clubs converging in America to crown football's true global champion. FIFA's vision of a blockbuster tournament makes financial sense, and the hype would suggest universal excitement. That's certainly the case in South Africa, where anticipation runs high. Yet elsewhere, particularly in Europe, the enthusiasm feels conspicuously absent.
Teams from Africa, Asia, South America, and Down Under will be enjoying their time in the sun in the United States, as they smile all the way to the bank. For the big teams in Europe, they need this tournament as much as one needs a nail in the head.
European clubs will feel that they already have a competition that determines the best team in the world in the UEFA Champions League, and that the Club World Cup is an obvious "cash grab" on the part of FIFA. They're not entirely wrong.
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But this sentiment is typical of Europe, who want to enjoy the best of footballers who come from all over the world, and don't want to share the wealth among everyone else.
At the Club World Cup, teams will get paid. South Africa's very own Mamelodi Sundowns will make around R170 million just for being there. Not a bad payday for a PR exercise meant to boost FIFA's image in America. Perhaps European club fear that once African, South American and Asian clubs have money of their own, they won't be able to plunder the continents of their best talents.
So, the competition is good, then?
In reality, FIFA has shot itself in the foot with the scheduling. The opening match between Al Ahly and Inter Miami will kick off at 2am (SA time) on Sunday morning. Mamelodi Sundowns' clash against Ulsan will be played at midnight.
There are games that have been scheduled to begin at 3am and others at 4am. We love our football in South Africa, but not as much as our sleep. And it's winter, it's cold. By 2am on Sunday, many in Mzansi will be in their beds rather than cheering for Messi against Al Ahly..
Another thing that could embarrass FIFA is the fact that no one seems to be buying tickets. According to recent reports, they've had to slash ticket prices from $230 (over R4,000) to $55 (R970). The fact that FIFA thought Americans, who care very little about the game of football, would spend that much on tickets to watch Botafogo take on Seattle Sounders shows how out of touch they are.
There will be some exciting games at the tournament, for sure, but FIFA is going to find it tough to keep fans' attention. Sundowns taking on Borussia Dortmund might sound exciting to people living in Pretoria, but to those from Cincinnati, it might not be the best ticket in town.
The FIFA Club World Cup could have been a celebration of global football – a chance to uplift teams outside Europe's elite and captivate new audiences. Instead, it's shaping up to be another tone-deaf spectacle: absurd scheduling, overpriced tickets, and a desperate scramble for relevance.
While the payouts might sweeten the deal for participating clubs, FIFA's arrogance in ignoring fans – both in timing and accessibility – proves yet again that the game's governing body prioritises profit over passion. Don't be surprised if the world doesn't show much interest.
IOL Sport