World Cup will use more indoor venues for day-time kick-offs to combat heat
Enzo Fernández described conditions during Chelsea's semi-final against Fluminense, when the temperature was 35C, as 'very dangerous'.
Infantino said better use would be made of indoor air-conditioned venues in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Vancouver. There are 16 host venues – 11 in the US, two in Canada and three in Mexico. Vancouver has by far the coolest average June and July temperatures of the indoor venues.
'The heat is definitely an issue,' Infantino said. 'It's an issue around the world. I remember it was the same in the Olympics in Paris and in other football games. But we have stadiums in America that are covered and one in Canada in Vancouver and we will definitely use these stadiums more during the day.'
Infantino declared the Club World Cup a huge financial success and said the revamped, 32-team tournament had generated close to £1.5bn in revenue. The competition concludes in New York on Sunday with a final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, which is due to be attended by Donald Trump.
Infantino said: 'The golden era of global club football has started. We can say definitely this Fifa Club World Cup has been a huge, huge, huge success. Of course, there are a lot of positives, some negatives. We respect everyone's opinion. It has been successful.
'We heard financially it would not work but I can say we generated over $2bn (£1.48bn) in revenues with this competition. We earned on average $33m per match. There is no other cup competition in the world that comes close to $33m per match. It is already the most successful club competition in the world.'
Infantino responded to criticism over poor attendances at some matches by saying 2.5m tickets were sold, equating to an average of 40,000 per match. 'There is no league in the world with that number, except the Premier League which, of course, has home teams.'
Sign up to Football Daily
Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football
after newsletter promotion
Infantino thanked Trump for his endorsement of the tournament. 'He loves the game,' he said. 'You cannot organise a competition like this without the full support of the government. Great thanks to president Trump – he has been fantastic and he is attending the final tomorrow as well.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
9 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
The £173million Chelsea team that Enzo Maresca can thank for Club World Cup entry including ‘bomb squad' member
CHELSEA were crowned champions of the world after thrashing Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the Club World Cup final on Sunday. Cole Palmer was on target twice before laying on an assist for new boy Joao Pedro in a first half blitz against the 2025 Champions League winners. 7 Chelsea's path to lifting the Club World Cup was laid out for them four years ago Credit: Getty 7 But only one player from then still remains a key part of Chelsea Credit: Getty 7 Chelsea qualified for the Club World Cup in 2021 by winning the Champions League Credit: Getty 7 The likes of Mason Mount departed for big money in the years following the triumph Credit: Getty 7 Timo Werner was among the first players from that team to leave Credit: Getty But ironically, the Blues victory in New Jersey's MetLife stadium in front of 80,000 fans, including US President Donald Trump, can be traced back to the efforts of a £173million team of 11 stars. Chelsea's qualification for this tournament was likely one of the last things on the mind of everyone involved with the club when Kai Havertz scored the winner in the Champions League final against Manchester City in 2021. Yet that team led by Thomas Tuchel unwittingly laid the groundwork for the Stamford Bridge outfit to be named world champions four years on. And yet a lot has happened since then, with only one star surviving from that starting XI in Portugal to the starting XI in America under Enzo Maresca. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL OW PEDRO Club World Cup final ends in brawl as Luis Enrique SLAPS Joao Pedro That sole survivor is Reece James, who has gone from marauding wing-back to midfield dynamo and is now the club captain. Opposite wing-back Ben Chilwell is the only other player still at the club, though he has been deemed surplus to requirements since last summer and is included in the so-called "bomb squad" of players the club are trying to sell. Everyone else has left, whether that be by way of transfer or free agency. The team actually stayed together for the entirety of the next season, before three stars; Timo Werner (£25m), Jorginho (£12m) and Antonio Rudiger (free), departed for pastures new following the arrival of owner Todd Boehly. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK With plenty of upheaval off the pitch for the club, five more of the team left, including the winning goalscoring and assisting pair of Havertz and Mason Mount for a combined £120m to Arsenal and Manchester United respectively. Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy also left that year to go to Al-Ahli for £16m, while fan favourites N'Golo Kante and Cesar Azpilicueta joined Al-Ittihad and Atletico Madrid respectively on free transfers. Cole Palmer and Chelsea celebrate in style as they arrive back at their hotel after Club World Cup victory Last summer saw the most recent permanent departure of the Champions League winning team as Thiago Silva finally called time on his Blues career to return home to Brazilian side Fluminense. Chilwell is expected to follow suit this summer after going on loan to Crystal Palace during the winter transfer window. But in terms of the current Blues squad, they continue to progress by leaps and bounds and you would not bet against them challenging for the Premier League next year. They have already completed a £51m deal to add Jamie Gittens, with Noni Madueke set to join Arsenal in a £52m deal. 7 7
The Sun
9 minutes ago
- The Sun
The £173million Chelsea team that Enzo Maresca can thank for Club World Cup entry including ‘bomb squad' member
CHELSEA were crowned champions of the world after thrashing Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the Club World Cup final on Sunday. Cole Palmer was on target twice before laying on an assist for new boy Joao Pedro in a first half blitz against the 2025 Champions League winners. 5 5 5 5 But ironically, the Blues victory in New Jersey's MetLife stadium in front of 80,000 fans, including US President Donald Trump, can be traced back to the efforts of a £173million team of 11 stars. Chelsea 's qualification for this tournament was likely one of the last things on the mind of everyone involved with the club when Kai Havertz scored the winner in the Champions League final against Manchester City in 2021. Yet that team led by Thomas Tuchel unwittingly laid the groundwork for the Stamford Bridge outfit to be named world champions four years on. And yet a lot has happened since then, with only one star surviving from that starting XI in Portugal to the starting XI in America under Enzo Maresca. That sole survivor is Reece James, who has gone from marauding wing-back to midfield dynamo and is now the club captain. Opposite wing-back Ben Chilwell is the only other player still at the club, though he has been deemed surplus to requirements since last summer and is included in the so-called "bomb squad" of players the club are trying to sell. Everyone else has left, whether that be by way of transfer or free agency. The team actually stayed together for the entirety of the next season, before three stars; Timo Werner (£25m), Jorginho (£12m) and Antonio Rudiger (free), departed for pastures new following the arrival of owner Todd Boehly. With plenty of upheaval off the pitch for the club, five more of the team left, including the winning goalscoring and assisting pair of Havertz and Mason Mount for a combined £120m to Arsenal and Manchester United respectively. Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy also left that year to go to Al-Ahli for £16m, while fan favourites N'Golo Kante and Cesar Azpilicueta joined Al-Ittihad and Atletico Madrid respectively on free transfers. Cole Palmer and Chelsea celebrate in style as they arrive back at their hotel after Club World Cup victory Last summer saw the most recent permanent departure of the Champions League winning team as Thiago Silva finally called time on his Blues career to return home to Brazilian side Fluminense. Chilwell is expected to follow suit this summer after going on loan to Crystal Palace during the winter transfer window. But in terms of the current Blues squad, they continue to progress by leaps and bounds and you would not bet against them challenging for the Premier League next year. They have already completed a £51m deal to add Jamie Gittens, with Noni Madueke set to join Arsenal in a £52m deal. Chelsea v PSG ratings CHELSEA conquered the world with a stunning 3-0 victory over Champions League winners PSG. Cole Palmer stole the show with two goals and a brilliant all-round performance that almost put Donald Trump in the shade. But how did the rest of Enzo Maresca's world beaters get on? Find out how SunSport's Tony Robertson rated all the Blues stars right here.
Metro
13 minutes ago
- Metro
Deeney rates Chelsea's Premier League title chances after Club World Cup triumph
Chelsea should be competing for the Premier League title next season and are only 'two or three signings' away from winning it. That is the opinion of former striker Troy Deeney after Chelsea thumped PSG 3-0 on Sunday to win the 2025 Club World Cup. In the final in New Jersey, the Blues put in perhaps their best performance under Enzo Maresca, with Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Robert Sanchez the standouts. Their triumph has raised expectations that the west London club could end their long wait for a Premier League title next season, having last lifted the trophy back in 2017 when Antonio Conte was in the dugout. Initially, Chelsea kept pace with Liverpool and Arsenal last season, though Maresca repeatedly insisted that they were not in the title race, with his side going on to suffer a big drop in form after Christmas and finishing fourth. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. Deeney believes the Blues need to be confident going into the 2025/26 campaign, telling talkSPORT: 'My only frustration with Enzo Maresca is he keeps downplaying it. This is an exceptional team, you look at the talent they've got on the bench, this is a team that can really compete. 'They're probably two or three pieces away. I'd go for a goalkeeper, an experienced centre-half and a full-back. That for me is a perfect team. 'But when you start talking about, 'we're away from getting in the Champions League, that's a milestone', I don't buy it. I think they have to be competing. 'I've got to give them a little bit of grace at the start of the season because we're three weeks away from the start of the Premier League season. They've just finished their last season when Liverpool have just played their first pre-season game. 'They're going to have to rest and recover. I think later on in the season this may take a toll but I expect them now to be looking at going deep into the Champions League, can they win the FA Cup and absolutely can they be up there with Arsenal trying to push on with Liverpool.' Chelsea begin the 2025/26 season at Stamford Bridge with a London derby against Crystal Palace on August 17. Liverpool – 15/8 Arsenal – 9/4 Man City – 11/4 Chelsea – 8/1 Newcastle – 22/1 Man United – 28/1 Tottenham – 50/1 Odds courtesy of Betfair After watching the Club World Cup final, Real Madrid and Tottenham legend Gareth Bale agreed with Deeney's prediction. More Trending 'I don't think they are far away at all [from challenging for the Premier League],' Bale told DAZN. 'Last season they got to around Christmas and everyone was talking about them being contenders. Obviously they are a young team and they kind of fell off but I think they will learn a lot from that. 'They have shown character as a team to come back and win the Conference League and now win this. I think confidence will be booming and they will have that self belief now.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Enzo Maresca told to replace Chelsea star after Club World Cup final MORE: Enzo Maresca reveals Chelsea targeted three PSG players in Club World Cup final win MORE: Chelsea stars Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto hit out at lack of respect
