2025 CWC

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by STR1, Oct 3, 2024.

  1. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Here are the OPTA rankings of the teams involved in the CWC.

    Only half of the top ten teams in the world are involved, 8 of the top 20, and 10 of the top 50.

    Why should I watch again?

    3, 4, 6, 7, 8
    11, 14, 15
    22, 25, 58, 62, 74, 79, 82, 92
    109, 112, 122, 124, 129, 133, 135
    158, 175
    231, 239, 268, 269
    380, 394, 669, 670
     
  2. Nico Limmat

    Nico Limmat Member+

    Oct 24, 1999
    Dubai, UAE
    Club:
    Grasshopper Club Zürich
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
  3. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    AlbertCamus repped this.
  4. jaykoz3

    jaykoz3 Member+

    Dec 25, 2010
    Conshohocken, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's what the players association collectively bargained for. Seems rather short sighted on their part.
     
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  5. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    673/860 players aren't affected.
     
  6. Nico Limmat

    Nico Limmat Member+

    Oct 24, 1999
    Dubai, UAE
    Club:
    Grasshopper Club Zürich
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    Looks like the prize money is subject to withholding tax:
    https://dailysports.net/news/al-ahl...ssue-ahead-of-fifa-club-world-cup-what-is-it/
    Interesting. I presume the same applies to the World Cup next year? Quite a complex tax picture, with multiple hosts and multiple double taxation agreements. Not to mention, some teams will play in multiple tax jurisdictions.
     
  7. Nico Limmat

    Nico Limmat Member+

    Oct 24, 1999
    Dubai, UAE
    Club:
    Grasshopper Club Zürich
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    #382 Nico Limmat, May 26, 2025
    Last edited: May 26, 2025

    Club America with the pressure of “saving their season” against LAFC. No Liga MX. No CCC.
     
  8. wantmlsphilly

    wantmlsphilly Member+

    Aug 2, 2006
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is why this tournament would be so much better if Europe was excluded. No one in Europe seems to care and the competition would be more interesting without these teams involved. Even if the prize money was half of what it is now, that would still be big money for the rest of these federations.
     
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  9. ThreeApples

    ThreeApples Member+

    Jul 28, 1999
    Smurf Village
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Europe is what makes it commercially viable. They didn't book all these NFL stadiums for Espérance de Tunis.
     
  10. crookeddy

    crookeddy Member+

    Apr 27, 2004
    I think the trophy collection for the super clubs isn't just for prestige. They need that prize money for ffp bookkeeping.
     
  11. wantmlsphilly

    wantmlsphilly Member+

    Aug 2, 2006
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #386 wantmlsphilly, May 26, 2025
    Last edited: May 26, 2025
    No real way to tell it this is true since it's never been done before. Leagues Cup was created and became commercially viable and much like the CWC it's still evolving. Also since this tournament in its new format hasn't been played yet, we still don't know if it's viable. Not to mention the European teams get paid a lot more just for qualifying. Real Madrid will collect over 38 million before they play a game and of the12 teams from Europe the lowest prize for qualifying is over 12 million. You could take seven from from CONCACAF, AFC, CAF nine from CONMEBOL & two from OFC, play in smaller stadiums and still make money for everyone involved.
     
  12. ThreeApples

    ThreeApples Member+

    Jul 28, 1999
    Smurf Village
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The motivating factor for all of the other confederations to support a Club World Cup is that they are otherwise cut off from competition against the world's top clubs. It's a big disruption to everybody's schedule and they're not going to do it for the chance to play Ulsan. And based on ticket sales so far, the biggest driver of fan interest is Europe.
     
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  13. wantmlsphilly

    wantmlsphilly Member+

    Aug 2, 2006
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well before this year only one European team was involved. They still played without the biggest driver. Plenty of folks want to see a Champions League with CONCACAF & CONMEBOL there's plenty of reason to believe this could be successful. There's probably more chance these teams would compete on a more level playing field and could win. Europe doesn't need the CWC as you can tell they think it's a burden for them.
     
  14. crookeddy

    crookeddy Member+

    Apr 27, 2004
    So you want a tournament to determine the second best confederation and think there is enough money in that?
     
  15. wantmlsphilly

    wantmlsphilly Member+

    Aug 2, 2006
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yes. I think it's a better way to grow the rest of the world. Nine teams from Europe getting in by the pathway is helping by having Chelsea getting over 30 million just to show up because? Three million possibly going to two teams in Oceania instead would make a bigger impact I believe.
     
  16. crookeddy

    crookeddy Member+

    Apr 27, 2004
    I agree that the number of European teams makes this a UCL redux, but without them the tournament becomes a small event with 10-15k average attendance in most places in the world.
     
  17. Burr

    Burr Member+

    Boca Juniors
    Argentina
    Jul 8, 2014
    Tampa, FL
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What if they just had the European participants be the highest ranked clubs that actually want to go (basically extend invites to the top and work your way down if anyone says no)? Surely the Newcastles/Villas/Spurs etc. would be champing at the bit more than the perennial UCL sides and it'd still be interesting and more fairly matched to boot. I dunno, maybe I'm being too idealistic.
     
  18. crookeddy

    crookeddy Member+

    Apr 27, 2004
    Then it would be an invitational tournament and not a world championship... Basically they overreached making this thing so big. The only club world cup format that makes sense is what they currently call the intercontinental cup where other confederations play for the right to play a single game for the title against the ECL champions. But there isn't enough money in that either.
     
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  19. Nico Limmat

    Nico Limmat Member+

    Oct 24, 1999
    Dubai, UAE
    Club:
    Grasshopper Club Zürich
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    Precisely. I question whether the tournament prize money would be even 10% of what it is without European participation.

    Although not a perfect comparison, there is a reason no truly successful club world championship exists in other sports, such as ice hockey, basketball, and baseball - without NHL, NBA, and MLB participation. There is the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, but it doesn't even feature the strongest European clubs. Let's see how the new Rugby CWC does.

    Say what you want about the snooty European elite, but they are descending from Mount Olympus this summer to play mere mortals - even if the primary motivation is financial in nature. This is an impossibility in other sports.
     
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  20. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Rugby union needs something. Outside of France, New Zealand and South Africa it's in a financial crisis.
     
  21. wantmlsphilly

    wantmlsphilly Member+

    Aug 2, 2006
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You act like all these Federations don't have champions leagues, some very successful. From the sound of things if this tournament was played in Europe, it might only draw 10-15K. I understand it won't have the same impact without UEFA but that doesn't mean it would be a small event. If the prize for the whole tournament was only 300 million and each team received 5 million for making the tournament with 140 million left, teams would be happy to play.
     
  22. ThreeApples

    ThreeApples Member+

    Jul 28, 1999
    Smurf Village
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You're probably off by at least an order of magnitude on the kind of prize money that tournament could support.
     
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  23. ArsenalMetro

    ArsenalMetro Member+

    United States
    Aug 5, 2008
    Chicago, IL
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    I agree that the tournament is too big, but the previous CWC format sucked, and unless the Intercontinental Cup rakes in money, it’ll be dead in 2 years. That tournament has no reason to exist at all anymore besides grifting.

    This same tournament with 16 teams would be fine. 4 each from UEFA and CONMEBOL, 2 each from CAF, AFC, and Concacaf, 1 from Oceania, and a host team, with mini-playoffs to determine which of the 4 recent continental winners goes into the full tournament from the smaller confederations.

    When you have Red Bull Salzburg representing UEFA in this thing, you know it’s overextended.
     
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  24. RafaLarios

    RafaLarios Member+

    Oct 2, 2009
    Medellín
    Club:
    Atletico Nacional
    Nat'l Team:
    Colombia
    I do like Intercontinental cup. At least you know most teams are the champions of their confederations.
     
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  25. wantmlsphilly

    wantmlsphilly Member+

    Aug 2, 2006
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm sure much like this one FIFA would need to add revenue to get it up off the ground and running. They're marketing this one with next year's World Cup. Copa Libertadores total prize money is more than 300 million and I think you could sell this with no problem to all the other confederations. None who seem to be complaining by the way and would have a much better chance of winning.
     

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