Club World Cup cash: European top-flight clubs get 50% share

Europe’s top-flight clubs are set to share half of the $250m (£185m) solidarity pot from the last Club World Cup, with FIFA and European Football Clubs (EFC) close to agreeing on a 50-50 split between Europe and the rest of the world, The Guardian reports. The money will be distributed once the deal is ratified.

FIFA approval comes next

EFC had pushed for a share of “just over 60%”, but backed down after FIFA insisted on a more equal global distribution. Of the $125m, a slice will go to all European top-division clubs that were not involved in the Club World Cup, with payments varying according to how many seasons a side competed at that level between 2021 and 2024.

Payments linked to UEFA form

There will also be money for clubs with the best performances in UEFA club competitions over the same period, again only if they did not play in the US tournament in 2025. The way the criteria work makes widely different payments likely, with Liverpool—UEFA Champions League runners-up in 2022—among those expected at the top end.

EFC holds its general assembly in Copenhagen on Tuesday, and the pact is expected to be confirmed after approval by the FIFA council, scheduled to meet in Zurich on 15 October. The article also recalls that EFC warned FIFA it would not cooperate with future Club World Cups if Gianni Infantino did not withdraw the Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme.