Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has revealed that the club will reject Club World Cup place due to financial incentive. The tournament will take place in the United States in June and July 2025, as 32 teams from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania will take part.
29 out of the 32 teams have been finalised and Madrid were able to seal their qualification after winning their 15th UEFA Champions League title.
“Players and clubs won’t participate in that tournament,” Ancelotti said in an interview with Italian newspaper Il Giornale on Monday. “One single Real Madrid game is worth €20 million, and FIFA want to give us that amount for the entire competition. Negative.
“Just like us, other clubs will refuse the invitation.”
The previous edition of the Club World Cup was held in Saudi Arabia and only seven teams had taken part. Manchester City had won against Brazilian side Fluminense in the summit clash.
The new format will feature 12 teams from UEFA, six from CONMEBOL, four each from CONCACAF, CAF and the AFC, one from Oceania’s OFC and one from the host country.
Many experts reckon that the top-level players are overworked but FIFA president Gianni Infantino denied those claims.
“FIFA is organizing around 1% of the games of the top clubs in the world,” Infantino said. “When it comes to the national teams, it is very similar.
“If you look at all the national team games around the world, we still have between 1% and 2% of the matches which are organised by FIFA. All other matches, 98% to 99%, are organised by other organisations.”
“With this 1% or 2% matches that FIFA organises, FIFA is financing football all over the world… I hope that these figures will stop this futile debate.”
The Italian, who celebrated his 65th birthday on Monday, also revealed he wants Toni Kroos to reconsider his retirement call.
“Unfortunately Kroos has decided to stop, he is a German in his choices but he will continue to live in Madrid,” Ancelotti said. “I told him that if, in the autumn, he had to change his mind, a phone call and we’ll start again.”
