FC Salzburg ready for the Club World Cup: opponents Real Madrid and high tension!

FC Salzburg ready for the Club World Cup: opponents Real Madrid and high tension!

FC Salzburg is taking part in the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time and will face international opponents in the group stage. The squad was nominated by coach Thomas Letsch and includes, among others, Alexander Schlager, who has recently suffered from injury problems but it is questionable whether he will be ready for action. Three young goalkeepers are available just in case: Jonas Krumrey, Christian Zawieschitzky and Salko Hamzic. The new additions to the team include Stefan Lainer, Frans Krätzig, Jacob Rasmussen and Sota Kitano, while Amar Dedic is not in the squad, although he is officially playing for Salzburg again.

In the group stage, Salzburg will face well-known teams: Real Madrid, Al Hilal and Pachuca. FC Salzburg's opening game will be played next Thursday. As a new challenge, participation in this international tournament is seen as an important step for Austrian football.

Club World Cup mode and prize money

The FIFA Club World Cup is played with 32 teams from six continental associations and consists of eight groups of four, from which the top two teams advance to the knockout phase. Kick-off times include 6 p.m., 8 p.m./9 p.m., 12 a.m. and 3 a.m./4 a.m. CEST. The first game begins on the night of Saturday to Sunday with a game between Inter Miami and Al Ahly. Salzburg will play in Group H, where they will face Pachuca, Al Hilal and Real Madrid.

A total of $1 billion in prize money will be distributed, with the entry fee for European teams ranging from $12.81 million to $38.19 million. Under the current format, every win in the group stage is worth USD 2 million and a draw is worth USD 1 million. Should Salzburg make it to the round of 16, they will receive an additional USD 7.5 million, while reaching the final is worth USD 30 million.

Framework conditions and TV broadcast

The Club World Cup not only offers exciting games, but also a variety of venues. A total of 12 stadiums will be used, including the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena with capacity for 88,500 spectators. The DAZN platform is responsible for broadcasting the games in Austria and makes all 63 games available free of charge. Registration is required for this, while other providers such as ORF or Sky are not responsible for the transmission.

FIFA has stressed that the total prize money of $1 billion represents the highest amount for a soccer tournament with this length of games. FIFA President Gianni Infantino is also planning a “global solidarity model” with a targeted $250 million to promote club football worldwide.

The tension is rising and FC Salzburg is determined to prove itself in this new competition.