Although it has not yet been officially announced how much the European participants will receive as entry fees in the new, inflated format of the FIFA Club World Cup, an internal document reveals the secret.
The world governing body has long since announced how much money it will distribute to the 32 participants: namely, one billion US dollars, which currently amounts to 877 million euros, given the sharp decline in the value of the dollar against the euro. At the end of March, it would have been 923 million euros. This sum will be divided according to sporting performance (around 417 million euros) at the tournament in the USA and in starting bonuses (around 460 million euros).
According to the ECA ranking based on sporting and commercial criteria
While clubs from other confederations receive the same appearance fee – South Americans receive €13.4 million, Oceanic clubs €3.1 million and the rest €8.4 million – this bonus varies among European clubs. FIFA had announced a range of €11.2 million to €33.5 million, “determined by a ranking based on sporting and commercial criteria,” according to the association’s statement.
A paper by the ECA, an association of major clubs, reveals the secret behind this ranking. According to the paper, a mixed value based on a sporting table, which is based on the performance of the past four Champions League seasons, and an economic ranking, which is based on the clubs’ turnover without transfer income in the past four seasons, will determine the specific distribution.
Base amount of €9.2 million for all European clubs
The “twelfth” European club – which, according to the ECA paper’s ranking, would be RB Salzburg – will receive €11.2 million. For each place in this UEFA table, the starting fee increases by the equivalent of just over €2 million. The reasoning behind this calculation is that every European club receives a base amount of €9.2 million and is then rewarded for its sporting achievements and commercial contribution to the marketing product that is soccer in the most recent four-year cycle.
Based on the UEFA club ranking, which only takes into account the last four seasons, and a calculation by the sports consulting agency “Football Benchmark,” Manchester City would be in first place. Real Madrid is ahead in terms of revenue, followed by City, while in sporting terms it is exactly the opposite, which would mean a tie between the two clubs. However, when asked, a person familiar with the matter said that in such a scenario, sporting merits would be valued higher than economic ones. FC Bayern would therefore be in third place, with Borussia Dortmund in sixth. Incidentally, the maximum that the Skyblues can earn in the tournament is €110.4 million.
