Expanded FIFA Club World Cup: Tournament News & General Discussion [R]

they are going to lose to any serious team, the only question is what present they are going to get from the "draw"

 

So there are a lot of folk online like you that drag any and everything. So if you were in charge there would never be any new competitions or changes to current formats? I don't understand why we can't at least try something new and see if we like it. I have wanted MLS teams to play against European competition for a long time. If Euro clubs don't take it seriously that's on them. There is a limit to the amount of matches players can play but I am interested in my different kinds of competition.

 

It is like the Europeans in 1930 who were probably saying the same thing about the World Cup.


It does not matter because Europe was not taking it seriously. Uruguay is not elite.
Blah blah blah.

 

looking at the list of participants, not a lot is missing. barca and liverpool for sure and that's it.
yes, it would be nice to have arsenal and milan, penarol, chivas and aguilas, zamalek etc, but you can't have everyone, therefore I find the fied great. if all big teams take it seriously it may be a good tournament.

I am quite sceptical about ticket sales. it is going to be expensive, it is the tournament noone can really rank and many games are going to be irrelevant. you can't compare it to the world cup by any means. we'll see ....

 

Yes and some of the super clubs missing out also adds to the exclusivity of the competition; next time the likes of Barcelona, Arsenal and Milan will want to be there.

 

Nah, I couldn't be arsed that Barca are not in it. 6-7 additional matches to pick up injuries, increase fatigue, etc. And the financial benefit will probably be even lower than what 6-7 typical matches during the 'traditional' season bring in.

 

The competition's financials are unknown at the moment, but I would still expect them to be substantial, particularly for clubs outside Europe.

 

Some general points, starting with Infantino who said in an address to Argentine journalists that all of the revenue will go to clubs - both those competing and others around the world in solidarity payments - and there will be nothing in it for FIFA.

Here's an article from The Football Benchmark website which echos what I was saying about the benefit of capping domestic premier leagues at 18 clubs to facilitate the expanded men's WC and the expanded Club WC, which would also improve the domestic competitions by making them more competitive.

Here's the relevant paragraph:

TV rights function like a system of communicating vessels, where broadcasters allocate resources based on what resonates with audiences. “A product like the Champions League, even in its new format, is significantly more appealing,” Sartori explains. “International competitions are currently the main draw for public interest, and broadcasters consider this when planning their budgets. The English Premier League thrives not just because of the on-pitch action, but also due to its impressive stadiums and vibrant crowds. However, for other leagues, competing in this landscape is challenging. I see a certain short-sightedness in maintaining the 20-team format when football is increasingly leaning toward globalization. While I understand that leagues want to protect their local communities, fans are gravitating in a different direction. If they don't recognize this shift, those fans may eventually turn to alternative forms of entertainment.”

https://www.footballbenchmark.com/l...dar_and_a_tv_offer_that_cannibalizes_football

Lastly, FIFA calling the 2025 edition a competition between the best clubs in the world is obviously misleading, they should refer to it as a competition between the best clubs from each continent. However, if they based qualification exclusively on a 4-year FIFA club coefficient ranking - plus a club from the host country if there isn't one among the highest ranked 32 clubs - they could more genuinely brand it as a competition between the best clubs in the world and - of course - there would be more interest in it in the 4-year intervals because clubs would earn FIFA club coefficient ranking points in their own continental CLs (say 2 from a win, one for a draw and 4 for winning a title).

 

Where is the evidence that fans are gravitating in a different direction, away from supporting local clubs? Have you seen the lineup for season tickets at some of the bigger clubs in Europe? Never been longer. Is there even evidence that the sport is leaning towards globalization? Not even sure what that means in the context of a sport that always had huge global appeal. But the gap in quality between the UEFA clubs and the ROW has never been greater. And wake me up when someone from outside C'BOL and UEFA win the WC, or even look improved over the 1990s.

But the bigger issue is that shortening annual domestic seasons to accommodate a quadrennial summer tournament is like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. It doesn't make any sense from any angle you look at it. Financially, some UEFA clubs (the ones qualifying for this Club WC) make 20 million per match and above and you're asking them to cut 16 matches every 4 years for a tournament they MIGHT qualify for, and one which we have no clue about yet in terms of how successful, relevant, appealing and prestigious it will be. At best. this discussion is about 20 years premature.

Domestic leagues are the bread and butter for every club, but especially those that aren't big and don't qualify for continental competitions or don't have any fans outside their immediate local area. Meanwhile, this expanded WC thingy just seems to be dishing out more money to the clubs that are already the wealthiest in their respective regions. It decreases competitiveness, if anything.

 

Maybe he meant fans around the World are gravitating to that direction.

Once Messi went to Inter Miami they became one of the most popular teams on Social Media.
So that I guess is good evidence.

 

I do not like it when a Cup does not actually look like a Cup.

 

Well the WC doesn't but it's one of the most beautiful trophies in the world, no?

 

Sorta.
It looks like a strange cup with the Earth inside of it so it is passable.

 

Yeah, but that's a pretty isolated case. And 24 months from now, Inter Miami will be irrelevant again, so unique and short-lived example.

 

I think it can also be interpreted as they are leaning towards globalization in such a way where these clubs are playing games outside their country and are willing to experiment outside of their nation in the middle east and even in the USA potentially.

And it is true. It has started with domestic cups but I have heard rumors of Premier League matches or even Champions league matches being played in New York or UAE.

That kind of stuff is only going to get more enticing not less.

 

It can be looked at either way. As mentioned above, the lineup for Liverpool, Man Utd, Madrid, etc. tickets keeps getting longer and longer. For e.g., if you have been a member of Arsenal for under 10 years, you have roughly an 8% chance of getting tickets to a typical home match (through a lottery). And that's for members!

So, when you take home matches away from these clubs and stage them elsewhere, there is going to be a pretty strong resistance (as we saw a decade ago when EPL was first rumored to play one round overseas).

Moreover, people living abroad seem perfectly fine with travelling to see matches. No need for the club to travel to them.

 

Well even if overseas fans are happy to travel, the owners are still trying to jump at the idea of playing regular season games abroad. La Liga almost got their game in Miami but that failed after nobody was on the same page despite the fact they were cool about it. Even if it fails now, who's to say it won't happen years down the road when all the league, federation, confederation, and international bodies agree to let it happen. Even if you put pressure on the owner, if everyone else says its cool, they might just do it.

 

Yeah, I guess anything is possible "years down the road". Though its already been 15 years since this idea surfaced and got rejected the first time, so its moving quite slowly.

I've noticed that usually when supporters' groups hate an idea, FIFA loves it. But this particular idea has both FIFA and supporters against it. Its not every day that these groups align, so that has me thinking this must be a terrible idea. Of course, FIFA's main reason for not liking the idea is ..... *drum roll* ... you guessed it - money. Some things never change.

 

Agreed. Meanwhile, winners of the 2024 CL and 2024 Copa Libertadores get to play in 2 club WCs. It would make more sense to skip the 7-team CWC in 2024, 2028, etc.