Red Bull Salzburg before a big club World Cup challenge in the USA!

Red Bull Salzburg before a big club World Cup challenge in the USA!

The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will take place in a new format with 32 teams, starting on June 14th and ending on July 13, 2025 in the USA. This change not only brings teams into play, but also a considerable potential for financial distributions. The event follows shortly after the Bundesliga season and the National League final Four. A team that takes part in this prestigious tournament is Red Bull Salzburg, which will compete against Pachuca in a week, on June 18th.

Salzburg's managing director Stephan Reiter commented on the logistical challenges associated with participation in the club World Cup. The team will travel to the USA with 65 people on Friday to set up their "base camp" in New Jersey. The games are played in different cities: Cincinnati, Washington and Philadelphia. This immense journey has new challenges, including time differences and travel distances that are likely to be troubled by the players.

challenges for players and clubs

The club World Cup also has concerns about the player burden. Voices from football, such as Julian Nagelsmann, describe the tournament as a "brutal burden" for the actors. Experts also warn of increasing specific injuries, especially thigh problems, while pressure on national competitions, especially the Bundesliga, grows. The close timing of the game calendar ensures minimal recovery phases, which endangers the safety of the players.

The club World Cup also coincides with other major events, including the European women's European Championship 2025. This could lead to visibility problems for women's football. In addition, the UEFA sees itself in a power struggle with FIFA because the club World Cup could influence the structure of the Champions League. The current inaugural duct distributions show great inequality - the amounts for European clubs are significantly higher, which could increase the economic pressure on smaller clubs.

Financial aspects of the club World Cup

Overall, FIFA will release a prize money of around 1 billion USD (approx. 926 million euros) for the club World Cup. The winner of the tournament can win up to 115 million euros (approx. 125 million $). The distribution of financial resources stipulates that $ 525 million go to all participating clubs as the entry fee, while $ 475 million are paid out in terms of performance. This reflects the global importance of the clubs.

For Salzburg, participation in the club World Cup means a entry fee of $ 12.8 million, which represents the smallest sum among the twelve European participants. Reiter regrets that the TV broadcast of the games is not possible on the usual channels in Austria, since discussions between DAZN and an Austrian broadcaster did not lead to an agreement. The biggest challenge for the transmission is the time shift that makes live reporting difficult.

In view of the multitude of challenges and the financial possibilities, the club World Cup is eagerly awaited. The eyes of the football world are aimed at the USA where the best clubs will fight for the title.