Real Madrid is considering boycotting the Club World Cup.
It came as a shock when Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of the recently crowned Champions League winners Real Madrid, disclosed in a recent interview that his team would not be participating in the upcoming Club World Cup. The reason? Not enough money would be distributed.
This begs the question: what's a Club World Cup without Real Madrid worth? This might be a scenario FIFA has to face in the coming summer. If the expanded Club World Cup with 32 teams is introduced for the first time, the record Champions League holders will be absent. Ancelotti made it clear in his interview with an Italian daily, "Il Giornale", that Real Madrid will not be showing up at the tournament in the US. "FIFA seems to have forgotten that players and clubs won't participate in this tournament. A single match by Real Madrid could bring in 20 million. FIFA wants to give us that amount for the whole cup. That's negative."
Ancelotti also hinted that other clubs would follow suit, creating quite a stir at FIFA's headquarters in Zurich. But it's also possible that Ancelotti is seeking more lucrative payouts for the participating teams. FIFA has not released any official information on the amounts yet. Spanish sports newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" had earlier reported that each team would receive 50 million euros, with the winner pocketing a whopping 100 million euros. Considering Real Madrid took home 85 million euros for winning the Champions League last season, the Club World Cup's total prize money seems modest in comparison. The Club World Cup is scheduled for June 15 to July 13, 2025.
Who else made the cut?
This new event in the international football calendar will take place every four years. From Germany, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund qualified through the UEFA's four-year ranking. Chelsea FC, Real Madrid, and Manchester City as the champions of the past four seasons have also qualified. Furthermore, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, FC Porto, Benfica Lisbon, Juventus Turin, Atletico Madrid, and Red Bull Salzburg secured one of the twelve European spots for the tournament. Out of the 32 spaces, 29 have already been filled.
Europe:- Chelsea FC- Real Madrid- Manchester City- FC Bayern Munich- Paris Saint-Germain- Inter Milan- FC Porto- Benfica Lisbon- Borussia Dortmund- Juventus Turin- Atletico Madrid- Red Bull Salzburg
South America:- Palmeiras Sao Paulo- Flamengo Rio de Janeiro- Fluminense Rio de Janeiro- River Plate
North and Central America:- CF Monterrey- Seattle Sounders- Club Leon- CF Pachuca
Asia:- Al-Hilal Riyadh- Urawa Red Diamonds- Al Ain Club- Ulsan Hyundai FC
Africa:- Al Ahly- Wydad Casablanca- Esperance Tunis- Mamelodi Sundowns
Oceania:- Auckland City
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Despite Real Madrid's potential boycott of the Club World Cup due to financial concerns, Carlo Ancelotti hinted that other top clubs might follow their lead, potentially causing a significant stir at FIFA's headquarters. With the World Championships of Soccer's Club World Cup set to introduce a 32-team format for the first time in 2025, Real Madrid's absence could be a major blow, given their ability to generate substantial revenue—a single match by the team could bring in an impressive 20 million dollars.
