PSG, Chelsea Vie for Club World Title, $40M Prize Money
This is the first expanded version of the men's Club World Cup with 32 teams, up from seven. The U.S.-hosted event has been plagued by problems, including the heat, spotty fields, weak attendance and injured stars. President Donald Trump told reporters this week he'd attend Sunday's game at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.
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Chelsea won the 2021 Club World Cup and was runner-up in 2012. This is PSG's first appearance in the final.
The $1 billion prize pool is double the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and Brazil's Fluminense is arguably the biggest winner of the revamped club tournament. It lost 2-0 to Chelsea in the semifinals, but the club earned prize money of roughly $60 million, nearly matching their 2024 operating revenue of $72 million, per Sports Value.
PSG and Chelsea have earned $78 million and $76 million through the semifinals, with the payouts for the final round pushing both squads over $100 million for the month-long event. The tally will help fund transfer spending for the two clubs as they set their 2025-26 squads.
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It will also help offset operating losses for the teams. PSG lost $60 million during the 2023-24 season after player trading, but it was better than the $117 million and $400 million shortfalls the previous two years. Chelsea lost $89 million during the 2023-24 season if you exclude the $250 million 'profit' on the sale of Chelsea's women's team from one ownership entity to a related one.
PSG ranked No. 8 in Sportico's soccer team valuations at $4.26 billion, while Chelsea was two spots lower at $3.57 billion. PSG's 2023-24 revenue was the third highest in the sport, behind only Real Madrid ($1.13 billion) and Manchester City ($901 million). The past season's revenue will get a boost from its first Champions League title on top of its two domestic crowns, which made the French club just the ninth European team to complete the 'treble,' with Barcelona and Bayern Munich both pulling it off twice.
Chelsea's revenue was $590 million, and it lags PSG in all three broad buckets: broadcast, a category that includes Champions League winnings ($265 million vs. $206 million); commercial ($422 million vs. $284 million); and matchday ($184 million vs. $101 million).
Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) bought control of PSG in 2011 at a roughly $100 million valuation. It owned 100% of the club until Arctos Partners bought a 12.5% stake in 2023 at a $4.3 billion valuation, per the Financial Times. Chelsea's owners—Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital—paid $3.16 billion for the team in 2022. Boehly and Arctos both own stakes in MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers.
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