IMAGO

25 September 2024 - 3:54 PM

Photo

IMAGO | The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, speaking at this years FIFA Congress in Bangkok.

No broadcasters, no sponsors, no schedule: What is going on with FIFA’s new Club World Cup?

  • FIFA wanted to make the new Club World Cup, which kicks off next summer, the most expensive sporting event in broadcast history. Broadcasters said no, leaving the project in jeopardy.
  • With few details available about the tournament, FIFA president Gianni Infantino held an online meeting with broadcasters last Friday in a bid to get the project back on track.
  • Why it matters: Elite clubs have long been agitating for more international club competition revenue while FIFA has been vying for more influence in this area.
  • The perspective: Stakeholders in the negotiations have expressed frustration at FIFA’s unilateralism and surprise at strategic missteps along the way.

To the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, last Friday’s “very important information session workshop” on the upcoming Club World Cup (CWC) was an opportunity to give advance information to broadcasters on details like host cities and the December draw for the newly expanded tournament.

“How [much] better can it get?” Infantino asked rhetorically in an Instagram video, that he posted at the end of the session.&n

Do you want to read this article?

Get instant access by signing up for a 7-day free trial

No credit card, no commitments, and it will expire automatically.

You will receive a link that activates your trial in an email.