The new formula of the competition will confront 24 clubs. Eight European teams are expected to participate, according to the president of the International Football Federation (FIFA).
The Chinese market has long salivated all businesses. Sports federations do not escape this attraction. The International Football Federation (FIFA) has thus come, Thursday, October 24, to entrust China with the organization of the World Cup 2021 clubs. Its president, Gianni Infantino, spoke about this. "Historic decision".
FIFA, whose board was meeting in Shanghai, does not hide that its approach is motivated by the search for new commercial revenues. Re-elected in June for a second term until 2023, Mr. Infantino said he wanted to reach "50 billion dollars" This is a new formula that will see 24 teams compete against each other, while the current version opposes seven teams, including the winner of the European Champions League.
This award highlights China's growing weight and influence in football. The 2019 and 2020 editions of the Club World Cup will take place in Qatar. The Gulf country will benefit from these two tournaments to make a full-scale logistical preparation for its stadiums and infrastructures in the optics of the Mondial-2022 that it will organize on its soil. The Chinese authorities dream, for their part, of being able one day to do the same and to host a World Cup.
The new format of the 24-team World Club Cup, which will be held every four years from 2021, was carried by Gianni Infantino and adopted by the FIFA Council in March in Miami. But he was met with hostility from UEFA, which did not bring its voices to the project. Europeans have denounced the lack of transparency of the FIFA president and the competition for their reform of the Champions League. Infantino said Thursday that the tournament will include eight European teams.
