• Loading stock data...
Sunday, October 26, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

Club World Cup Semis Are Battle to Make Richest Soccer Final Ever

The new tournament is reaching its most lucrative stages for the four clubs left standing.

Chelsea
Susana Vera-Reuters via Imagn Images

The Club World Cup gears up for its final three matches this week with four teams left standing: European giants Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, and Chelsea, and Brazilian side Fluminense.

PSG, which faces team Real Madrid on Wednesday afternoon, is the only team that also made the European Champions League semis. Chelsea didn’t make the Champions League last season, while Real Madrid lost in the quarterfinals, and FIFA avoided an all-European final with Fluminense. The Brazilian side faces Chelsea on Tuesday afternoon. All matches for the rest of the tournament will be at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will also host the 2026 World Cup final.

While FIFA is celebrating its big-name final four, those teams and the eliminated ones are enjoying their new cash. FIFA offered a $1 billion purse for its new 32-team tournament, with hefty participation incentives for European clubs ranging from $12.81 million to $38.19 million. South American clubs received $15.21 million to show up, followed by $9.55 million for North and Central American, Asian, and African teams. The representative from Oceania, Auckland City FC, made $3.58 million.

On top of the $525 million distributed in participation, $475 million remained on the table for winning. Each team earned $2 million for a win and $1 million for a draw in the group stage, $7.5 million for the round of 16, and $13.125 million for the quarterfinals.

The tournament has now entered its most lucrative stage. Each semifinalist gets $21 million. The July 13 final will pay $40 million to the champion and $30 million to the runner-up, making it the richest soccer final ever.

By reaching the semis, Fluminense has already bagged more than $60 million. FIFA has not said exactly how it’s distributed its participation payments to European teams, but the three European semifinalists have each made at least $60 million at the tournament, and likely closer to $80 million.

The financial windfall will come in handy for the major European sides. Chelsea, owned by a holding company led by Americans Todd Boehly and new Lakers owner Mark Walter, received a $36.5 million fine Friday from UEFA for breaching financial rules, one it’ll easily pay off thanks to the Club World Cup. Or, the club could use that money to help cover the transfer fees of Liam Delap (about $40 million) and Jamie Gittens (about $75 million), who it picked up this offseason. Even Manchester City, which lost earlier in the knockout round, made more than $50 million for two weeks of play.

“By going into this competition and earning these sums of money, it’s giving you yet another advantage over the other teams in your domestic leagues,” Pat Nevin, former Chelsea and Everton winger and BBC Sports writer, told Front Office Sports last month. “And it’s a gigantic advantage, especially if you make the guts of $100 million out of it.”

While the players are competing for tens of millions of dollars, FIFA has been slashing ticket prices to watch those matches. In the span of 72 hours in the days before Chelsea-Fluminense, FIFA lowered standard-ticket prices from nearly $475 to just $13.40. The day before the match, the get-in price was just above $40. Tickets for PSG against Real Madrid still sat around $200 on Monday.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

After Heavy Pushback, LaLiga’s Controversial Miami Match Canceled

Hard Rock Stadium was set to host Barcelona-Villarreal on Dec. 20.

The AWS Outage Wreaked Havoc in Sports

Ticketmaster, FanDuel, DraftKings, and Strava all had problems.
[Subscription Customers Only] Jun 19, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Botafogo owner John Textor before the match during a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Rose Bowl Stadium.

John Textor Loses Bid to End $97M Suit Tied to Failed Soccer..

Textor told FOS he intends to appeal; Iconic Sports intends to collect.
Hansi Flick

Barcelona Players, Coach ‘Not Happy’ About Miami Game

La Liga is on the verge of relocating a December match.

Featured Today

September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin
October 25, 2025

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.
Christie's
October 21, 2025

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
Fred Warner

Most of the 49ers’ Record Cap Number Isn’t on the Field

The 49ers are winning despite ranking 31st on spending on active players.
Tom Dundon
exclusive
October 22, 2025

Sale of Trail Blazers to Tom Dundon Will Take Multiple Years to..

Dundon is buying the team at a $4.25 billion valuation.
Oct 23, 2025; Toronto, ON, Canada; Signage in place on the dug out before game one of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
October 24, 2025

World Series Viewership Will Be Different This Year

The Canadian presence in the World Series creates a unique viewership situation.
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

Fans can now follow their favorite golfers and experience every marquee moment at the Ryder Cup — thanks to innovation from T-Mobile.
October 18, 2025

Financial Behemoth Dodgers Win NL Pennant, Eye History

The biggest spenders would be MLB’s first repeat champion in 25 years.
October 16, 2025

For Yankees, It May Be ‘Business As Usual,’ but Title Drought Lingers

GM Brian Cashman says a salary cap is not at the forefront of his mind.
Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Mercedes driver George Russell (63) and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli (12) celebrate their first and third place at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
October 15, 2025

Mercedes F1 Team Rides With Russell, Antonelli Despite Verstappen Link

Russell took the Formula One seat at Mercedes in 2021.
October 13, 2025

RAJ Sports Withdraws Lawsuit Over Trail Blazers Stake

RAJ Sports had sued the Cherng family, owner of Panda Express.