At last. The tournament everyone has been waiting for featuring the best teams and the best players is finally getting underway in the United States of America.
(Okay, not everyone. Barely anyone, in fact. And no, not all the best teams, just some of them. And no, not all the best players either. Oh, and united? Hardly.)
But hey, come take a look at Gianni Infantino’s shiny new toy! The Club World Cup trophy certainly isn’t compensating for anything, and in this post-truth world you certainly aren’t going to hear Fifa’s president say anything that isn’t glowing about this expanded 32-team tournament.
No, no, ignore those empty seats and look at me. It’s going to be perfect.
With that in mind, here are seven reasons why the Club World Cup absolutely stinks.
The Infantino (and Trump) Show
Infantino has long been cosying up to President Donald Trump, taking the Club World Cup trophy to the Oval Office in March.
The pair’s relationship is straining the football community. Infantino was then late for a Fifa congress in May, and Uefa accused him of prioritising “private political interests”.
Why? Because Infantino had been on a diplomatic tour of the Middle East, visiting leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar alongside Trump, meaning he turned up almost three hours late in Paraguay for his own organisation’s annual meeting.
Some European representatives walked out, while Infantino defended his tardiness, saying: “I felt that I needed to be there to represent football and all of you.”
USA security fears
Nationwide immigration raids have seen riots and anti-ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) protests take place primarily in Los Angeles – the Spanish-named city with a rich Latino heritage and population – which is hosting six Club World Cup group-stage matches in June.
LA is not the only flashpoint, but Infantino has played down any security fears – “I don’t have any concerns,” he said – despite the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) having a presence at the tournament.
The CBP deleted a social media post saying their officers would be “suited and booted” for Saturday night’s Club World Cup opener in Miami, but doubled down on their involvement.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is committed to working with our local and federal partners to ensure the Fifa Club World Cup 26 is safe for everyone involved, as we do with every major sporting event, including the Super Bowl. Our mission remains unchanged,” the agency told The Associated Press.
And in a kind open invite to all – beyond the countries Trump has banned from travelling to the US, of course – Vice President JD Vance kindly found time for a quip regarding any visitors to next year’s World Cup overstaying their welcome.
“We want them to come, we want them to celebrate, we want them to watch the game,” he said at the World Cup 2026 taskforce meeting in May, where Infantino and Trump were both present.
“But when the time is up, they’ll have to go home. Otherwise they’ll have to talk to [Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi] Noem.”
Anyway, enjoy the Club World Cup, but if current sales are anything to go by – Fifa has slashed ticket prices to try and avoid the ignominy of thousands of empty seats – there won’t be many people actually there.
It will be interesting to see how Infantino addresses this in the days and weeks to come.
The $1bn deal
This revamped Club World Cup failed to attract any broadcasters until December, when Dazn struck a $1bn (£738m) deal for the global rights.
And get this. Two months later, SURJ Sports Investments, a division of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF), bought a minority stake in Dazn for a reported $1bn.
And now get this. A month after that, Fifa confirmed the prize money for the Club World Cup would total – pull out your best Dr. Evil from Austin Powers impression – one billion dollars. Mua-haha.
Oh, and let’s not forget Saudi Arabia were confirmed as 2034 World Cup hosts in December too, for which they were the sole bidders – much like Dazn and this Club World Cup.
Player burnout? Pah!
Current Ballon d’Or holder and Manchester City midfielder Rodri claimed last September that players were “close” to striking over the current schedule.
Rodri then ruptured his ACL. Quite the elaborate way to make a point. But having since recovered he has now made the journey to the US with his City teammates this summer. It’s all quiet on the strike front, though, proving player power is currently no match for the riches on offer – and likely their contractual obligations.
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“It’s something that worries us because we are the ones who suffer,” Rodri had said, while to zero in on the English teams involved, City and Chelsea, the impact of this Club World Cup may not become clear until deeper into the next Premier League season.
With player burnout a prospect, England manager Thomas Tuchel believes it’s advantage Liverpool and Arsenal, while Fifa themselves risk losing players to injury going into the 2026 World Cup – which features, er, more matches and nations than ever…
The best of the best?
The English, Spanish and Italian champions are among the teams absent from this Club World Cup, although Liverpool, Barcelona and Napoli are unlikely to complain.
Fifa awarded Europe 12 places based on the 2021-2024 period. Three spots therefore went to the Champions League winners in that time: Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Chelsea.
The other nine were decided by Uefa’s club rankings, with Red Bull Salzburg the standout surprise. The Austrian side are included as there couldn’t be more than two clubs from each nation, so they are through by “default”, which Homer Simpson once called the two sweetest words in the English language.
It hardly makes it the best of the best.
Shoehorning in Messi, trying to hire Ronaldo
One outta two ain’t bad. Lionel Messi is playing, Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t, although Infantino himself tried to flog the Portuguese superstar away.
Infantino told YouTuber IShowSpeed in May (words you never imagined writing or reading) that “discussions with some” Club World Cup teams were happening, adding: “If any club is watching and is interested in hiring Ronaldo… who knows, who knows.”
Ronaldo’s next club remains unknown after he said his Al-Nassr chapter was “over”, but he hasn’t joined a team in time for this tournament.
Ah well, worth a go. At least there’s Messi, whose Inter Miami were picked as hosts after Infantino called them “one of the best clubs in the world”.
They’re not, but Infantino had at least some justification after Inter Miami won the MLS Supporters Shield in 2024, awarded to the club that performed best in the MLS’ regular season.
The winners of the MLS Cup, however, the actual prize at the end of the domestic campaign, were LA Galaxy, and they are not in the Club World Cup, nor are previous winners Columbus Crew, although 2022 winners Los Angeles FC are.
Infantino’s humble sticker addition
If you are able to offset the cringe and make it to the end of the Instagram video below, you’ll note Infantino has put himself in the tournament’s official sticker album.
Deluded doesn’t cut it.
“The best of the best united in one sticker album,” he says, before gleefully holding his own golden sticker and putting it into the book.
“The secret striker,” he adds, the video ending with his sticker after showing us Erling Haaland’s. Stay humble, eh?
Today, I feel grossed out.
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