FIFA President Gianni Infantino has hailed the expanded Club World Cup as the “most successful club competition in the world,” brushing aside criticism surrounding its format, timing, and impact on players.
Speaking in New York at the opening of FIFA’s new office at Trump Tower, Infantino praised the inaugural 32-team edition of the tournament, which is nearing its climax with a final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. The competition, held in the sweltering summer heat of the United States, faced backlash for increasing the workload on top players and raising concerns over player welfare.
Despite doubts over fan interest and several matches failing to sell out, Infantino expressed satisfaction with attendance figures and financial returns. “This Club World Cup has been a huge success,” he said. “We’ve generated nearly $2.1 billion in revenue from 63 matches — that’s an average of $33 million per game. No other club competition comes close.”
Calling it the start of a “golden age” for club football, Infantino insisted the event had defied expectations. “People said it wouldn’t work financially, that fans wouldn’t care, but the numbers speak for themselves,” he added.
While prominent critics like former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp have slammed the tournament, with Klopp calling it “the worst idea ever implemented in football”, Infantino downplayed European discontent. “It’s not true that Europe is against this,” he argued. “The clubs that qualified were happy to participate, and even those that didn’t were asking how they could get in next time.”
Infantino acknowledged that he would have liked to see the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, Barcelona, and AC Milan at the event, but emphasized the importance of meeting qualification criteria.
Looking ahead, the FIFA boss confirmed that the next Club World Cup will take place in 2029 but declined to say whether future editions might be held biennially or expanded further. “We’ve built something new something here to stay,” he said. “This is reshaping the future of club football.”
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