The new-look FIFA Club World Cup make its debut Sunday at the Rose Bowl.
The expanded tournament, now featuring 32 teams, carries with it a hefty total prize tag of $1 billion, with teams receiving a piece at the end of every round: $2 million per win the group stage and $1 million per draw.
The breakdown continues: $7.5 million for the round of 16, $13.125 million for quarterfinals, $21 million for semifinals, $30 million for finalists and $40 million for the winner. In its new format, the tournament will be played every four years.
“The list of participants at the inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup is a true reflection of a tournament that will be the most competitive and inclusive of global football, bringing together the best talents from every continent to decide the true FIFA world club champion,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. “With 81 countries represented, the FIFA Club World Cup is helping to make football truly global. The tournament will be the dream of every fan, a month-long football feast.”
Locally, the Rose Bowl, home to several of soccer’s biggest moments, will host six games.
One of the participants at the Rose Bowl is Paris Saint-Germain, which began the month defeating Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League.
“We know it’ll be tough and there are some very good teams in this competition,” PSG winger Ousmane Dembélé told FIFA.com. “We know the first match will be crucial. But we’re going to try and give it our all to win this trophy.”
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PSG’s opener pits the club against Atletico Madrid.
“What excites me most about this FIFA Club World Cup is that it’s going to be the first,” Atletico forward Antoine Griezmann said. “It’s an honor for me and the club to be part of it. We’re really looking forward to getting to the United States and starting with our first match. For us, for Atleti, getting to feature at this tournament was very important. Last year, we were able to qualify and we’re really looking forward to having a great tournament.”
Who’s coming to the Rose Bowl?
Joining PSG in Group B, along with Atletico Madrid is Botafogo from Brazil. Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders are also in the group, but will not play any group games at the Rose Bowl.
Inter Milan is in Group E, along with Liga MX’s Monterrey, Argentina’s River Plate and Japanese club Urawa Reds.
Game schedule at the Rose Bowl
Sunday: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid, noon
Tuesday: Monterrey vs. Inter Milan, 6 p.m.
Thursday: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Botafogo, 6 p.m.
June 21: River Plate vs. Monterrey, 6 p.m.
June 23: Atletico Madrid vs. Botafogo, noon
June 25: Urawa Red Diamonds vs. Monterrey, 6 p.m.
What’s the tournament format?
There are eight groups of four teams. Just like in a World Cup, each team plays the others in their respective group. The top two will advance to the knockout rounds. The group stage will feature round-robin play. The final is set for July 13.
Here is the group breakdown:
A: Al Ahly, Porto, Palmeiras, Inter Miami
B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
D: Flamengo, Esperance Sportive de Tunis, Chelsea, LAFC
E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan
F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan HD, Mamelodi Sundowns
G: Manchester City, Wydad AC, Al Ain, Juventus
H: Real Madrid, Al-Hilal, Pachuca, Red Bull Salzburg
Who are the favorites to win?
Opta has released its favorites with Paris Saint-Germain (18.5%) and Manchester City (17.8%) at the top, followed by Bayern Munich (12.8%) and Inter Milan (12.3%). Real Madrid is the fifth favorite, falling just under 10% at 9.8.
Real Madrid had a disappointing year, by their standards, failing to win La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. Xabi Alonso has replaced Carlo Ancelotti as coach and the club has already made a big splash, signing Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool and Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth.
Manchester City has made four new signings, bringing in Ryan Cherki (Lyon), Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolverhampton), Marcus Bettinelli (Chelsea) and Tijani Reijnders (AC Milan).
The European clubs are coming off of a long season, which also included national team commitments. If a club like PSG or Real Madrid makes the final, they would be looking at just over a month break before the start of the next club season. Maybe that opens the door for a Mexican club, like Pachuca or Monterrey, or Copa Libertadores winner Botafogo to make a run and secure some big prize money.
How did MLS get invited?
The Seattle Sounders, Inter Miami and LAFC are representing Major League Soccer and all three qualified via different paths. Inter Miami qualified by winning the MLS Supporters Shield last season. The Sounders are in thanks to their 2022 CONCACAF Champions League title win. LAFC won a play-in game against Club América after Club Léon was disqualified due to FIFA’s multi-club-ownership rules.
How to watch?
The TNT Sports’ network (TNT, TBS and truTV) will televise 24 matches. DAZN will air all 63 games. Spanish-language coverage will also be available on TUDN.