European clubs close in on £185m share of Club World Cup solidarity pot
Fifa and European Football Clubs near deal after months of frustration
Europe's top-flight clubs are set to share half of the $250m (£185m) solidarity pot from last year's Club World Cup, bringing an end to a saga whose drawn-out duration has caused widespread frustration among those who did not take part in the tournament.
The Guardian understands that Fifa and European Football Clubs (EFC) are close to an agreement that would deliver a 50-50 split between sides in Europe and those in the rest of the world. The fund, set aside to ensure the money-spinning competition contributes to football's wider ecosystem, will be distributed once the deal has been ratified.
How the money will be distributed
European Football Clubs had originally sought a share of just over 60% for its members, but compromised after Fifa insisted on a more equal global distribution. A portion of the $125m headed to Europe will be handed to all top-division clubs that were not involved in the Club World Cup, with amounts varying depending on the number of seasons a side competed at that level between 2021 and 2024.
An amount will also go to clubs with the best performance in Uefa club competitions during that period, again provided they did not play in the US-staged tournament in 2025. The structure raises the likelihood of clubs receiving wildly varying payments, with Liverpool — Champions League runners-up in 2022 — among those in line to benefit at the higher end of the scale.
Ratification timeline and next steps
EFC will stage its general assembly in Copenhagen on Tuesday, and the agreement is likely to be confirmed after approval by the Fifa council, which is scheduled to meet in Zurich on 15 October. Clubs from smaller leagues had grown particularly exasperated at the drawn-out timeline for receiving funds that, in many cases, can present a welcome lifeline.
The Club World Cup winners, Chelsea, have long since benefited from an £84m payout from the £740m set aside as prize money. As the Guardian reported in August, EFC threatened Fifa that it would not cooperate with future Club World Cups if Gianni Infantino did not withdraw his ill-fated Fifa Forward Enterprise scheme. In the same letter, EFC said the lack of a solution on Club World Cup solidarity payments was “of serious disappointment to EFC and our member clubs”.
Wider tensions linger
A joint venture between EFC and Fifa, intended to involve managing the commercial side of global club competitions, remains on the table but is unlikely to be signed in the near future given the turbulence surrounding world football's leadership. Infantino addressed the EFC general assembly in Rome last year, but a repeat performance is not deemed likely this time given the prospect of a direct encounter with adversaries such as the Uefa president, Aleksander Ceferin.
Infantino spent Monday attempting to boost his standing in Europe by travelling to Riga for the opening of new offices at the Latvian Football Association. The Fifa secretary general, Mattias Grafström, is expected to be among the delegates in Copenhagen.