Club World Cup: There's money. Lots of money

Representatives of FC Bayern and Borussia Dortmund have consistently spoken positively about the Club World Cup during the preparations, despite the additional workload on their players and the widespread criticism from the football community. The enthusiasm of the two German participants for the tournament in the USA has one main reason: There's money involved. Lots of money. In an ideal scenario—that is, if they win the title—both German clubs could earn a staggering sum of just under €110 million in prize money at the Club World Cup.

By comparison: Bayern and BVB received an estimated just over 100 million euros in bonuses in the last Champions League, while in the Bundesliga Bayern received just under 100 million euros in television money, and Dortmund just under 90. In both competitions, ticket revenue from home games is added, which of course is not included in the Club World Cup.

FIFA, the world football governing body, has published the distribution of prize money for the Club World Cup here. The entry fees are staggered, but clubs from Europe automatically receive more than any club from Asia, Africa, or North and Central America. The teams from these three continental associations each receive just over eight million euros. The South Americans receive just under 15 million, and Auckland City, the only representative from Oceania, receives less than 3.5 million. How much each top European club receives is not entirely clear; the clubs are classified according to a system of "commercial and sporting" criteria. The range is between 11 and 32.8 million euros, mind you, just for showing up. Based on known rankings, Salzburg are likely to receive the least and Real Madrid the most. Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said FC Bayern will receive 27.8 million euros in entry fees. At BVB, after all the 2024 Champions League finalists, it should be only a little less.

Each win in the group stage brings 1.8 million euros, a draw 900,000, and a place in the round of 16 another 6.8. Assuming FC Bayern advance to the next round with nine points against their group opponents Auckland, Boca Juniors, and Benfica Lisbon, they would have earned 40 million euros in prize money from just three matches. A sum that already exceeds the total personnel costs of four Bundesliga clubs last season.

Even more money is distributed in the knockout phase. A place in the quarterfinals brings twelve million euros, semifinalists receive 19 million euros, the finalist 27 million euros, and the winner 36 million euros. So, if FC Bayern wins the tournament, the bottom line would be just under 110 million euros in prize money alone, not to mention the advertising value.

The extremely high sums at stake in the knockout round tend to be an even greater incentive for non-European clubs in the competition. Several million euros are, of course, relatively more relevant in regions of the world where not as much money is spent in domestic leagues and competitions comparable to the Champions League. Also important for all clubs in principle, but especially for teams like Chelsea or Manchester City, which have had very high transfer spending in the recent past, is that the money is "Financial Fair Play compliant," meaning it can be fully claimed in all invoices and balance sheets before various audit committees.

How FIFA intends to finance the total one billion US dollars in bonuses is an intriguing question, and perhaps not yet fully resolved. The biggest criticism of this multi-billion dollar splurge, however, is an old but no less current one: The money will once again primarily go to the clubs in Europe that already have it. The inequality between the leagues, which has already increased massively, especially due to the Champions League, will continue to grow.