by PSG (Paris-Saint Germain) finally lost a trophy this season, and with that, the FIFA CWC (Club World Cup) concluded.
It was the first edition of the FIFA CWC with 32 teams, and honestly, I was quite excited about this tournament.
It was almost like a mini UCL, with several European giants participating in the competition.
But now, even with no league football till next month, a part of me is happy that the FIFA CWC has ended. And while Gianni Infantino might say that FIFA CWC was a “huge success”, I believe it’s not the whole truth.
Simply because even some highly anticipated fixtures between quality teams were average, and not to mention the low attendance, which ruined the tournament’s hype factor.
However, it’s an undeniable fact that the FIFA CWC has presented a golden opportunity to players and clubs who don’t get many chances to perform at the highest level.
FIFA Club World Cup
Anyway, let’s see if FIFA CWC was a huge success like Infantino said, or was it an unnecessary competition that increased the workload for players?
Hype vs. Reality
As I said above, this tournament felt like a mini-UCL. Some of the top European clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester City, PSG, Inter Milan, and Bayern Munich participated in the tournament.
However, I would say that FIFA CWC was nowhere near its hype, and in reality, it was just an average tournament.
Even with superstars like Mbappe, Messi, Dembele, Kane, and more playing for their respective sides, FIFA CWC failed to generate any traction.
That said, such iconic teams and players were a major reason why I bought a DAZN subscription to live-stream all the matches.
Fortunately, my Hawaiian Telcom Internet doesn’t impose data caps. Otherwise, I would’ve felt bad about wasting my data on such boring and bleak matches.
Fan Attendance
I believe we, the Americans, only go to stadiums for concerts or to watch MLS (Major League Soccer) matches.
It’s a fact that a FIFA-sponsored tournament is always going to be bigger than any domestic league. And yet, there was hardly a FIFA CWC match with full attendance.
To put this into perspective, Bayern Munich, Juventus, PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City – all these European powerhouses played at least one match in front of more than 30,000 empty seats.
Also, you know that the U.S. is going to co-host the FIFA World Cup next year with Mexico and Canada, right? I believe this tournament should be a wake-up call for the organizers, as low attendance during the World Cup would ruin FIFA’s credibility.
Poor Scheduling
Frankly speaking, the matches’ schedule couldn’t have been worse than this. In my opinion, poor scheduling is one of the major reasons why fans didn’t come to the stadiums. Like, why would FIFA organize day matches, that too, at 3 P.M.?
If you’ve watched a few day matches, you’d know how difficult it was for players to play in the scorching heat. Also, with tired legs and dehydrated bodies, I felt that most teams didn’t want to run behind the ball in the second half of the match.
Number Of Teams
Enough with the downsides. Now, let’s focus on some positives that came out of the FIFA CWC. Like I mentioned earlier, it was the first time FIFA increased the number of teams to 32.
Although English, Spanish, and Italian league winners didn’t qualify for the FIFA CWC, the tournament still had some quality sides.
However, this competition presented an opportunity to clubs that might never compete in the UCL or another major tournament. Al-Hilal, Fluminense, Inter Miami, and a few other teams played exceptionally well.
Also, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Flamengo beating Chelsea, Man City being humiliated by Al-Hilal, and Fluminense upsetting Inter were the highlights of this tournament.
Prize Pool
FIFA announced a $1B prize pool to be distributed among the 32 participating teams. And honestly, I’d be a little surprised if FIFA generated that kind of money from this tournament.
Tournament’s sponsorships were great, but as for ticket income, FIFA might’ve taken a huge hit.
Nonetheless, small clubs like Fluminense and a few others that received huge participation and performance bonuses are good for the sport.
Such massive amounts can be really helpful in developing their academies, signing superstars, and providing better facilities to their players.
My Verdict
All in all, I wouldn’t say that the FIFA CWC was a huge success.
Increasing the number of teams and prize money was a great step by FIFA. It allowed small clubs to play at the highest level and showcase their skills against the top football clubs.
However, average matches, fatigued players, low fan attendance, and poor scheduling dented this competition’s image. Only if FIFA had addressed these issues before the tournament, the CWC could’ve been on par with the UCL.
