FIFA s inaugural Club World Cup set to kick off in the US amid challenges

LOS ANGELES – Fifa’s billion-dollar gamble to revolutionise club football begins on June 15 with plenty of cash up for grabs but questionable enthusiasm, as 32 teams prepare to contest the expanded Club World Cup in 12 stadiums across the United States.

The tournament – designed as a glittering showcase ahead of the 2026 World Cup – has had to contend with the prospect of empty seats along with controversial qualification rules and player welfare concerns after an exhausting European season.

Lionel Messis Inter Miami face Saudi Arabias Al Ahly in the opening fixture at Miamis Hard Rock Stadium, with tickets still widely available days before kick-off.

Fifa’s website shows lots of tickets available, including for the July 13 final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.

Messi’s presence underscores the tournament’s contentious foundations.

Miami gained entry by topping Major League Soccer’s regular-season standings, despite losing in the first round of the play-offs – a decision critics say shows Fifa’s desperation to have the Argentina great at their inaugural showpiece.

Fifa’s decision to give the host nation a spot and award it to Miami underlined the opaque nature of the qualifying criteria for the tournament, which will not feature Liverpool, Barcelona or Napoli who have all just been crowned champions of three of the most prestigious leagues in Europe.

Apart from the winners of each confederation’s premier club competitions, teams qualified according to a ranking based on their performances over a four-year period.

There is also the case of Club Leon, the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup winners, who were excluded from the tournament just over a month ago due to having shared ownership with another qualifier.

Nailing down a last-gasp US$1 billion (S$1.3 billion) TV rights deal with sports streaming platform DAZN six months before the tournament means a total of US$2