Infantino: Club World Cup Has Been Huge Success But Others Disagree

Forbes

17 hours ago

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 12: FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during a media scrum at the ... More Trump Tower ahead of FIFA Club World Cup Final on July 12, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by)
A day prior to the final, FIFA President Gianni Infantino claimed that the FIFA Club World Cup "has been a huge, huge, huge success" and that the "golden era of football has started."
However, there might be some other individuals out there in the soccer universe to think otherwise, especially players and coaches, who have had to endure the heat and thunderstorms of the U.S. summer.
"We can say definitely that this FIFA Club World Cup has been a huge, huge, huge success." Infantino said during a press conference in Manhattan in New York City on Saturday morning, according to BBC.com. "Of course, there are a lot of positives, some negatives."
Infantino did not mention the negatives.
"We respect everyone's opinion," he said. "It has been successful. We have had over 2.5 million in the stadiums. That's around 40,000 spectators per match - there is no league in the world with that number, except the Premier League which, of course, has home teams and these are neutral stadiums.
"We heard financially it would not work but I can say we generated over $2 billion in revenues with this competition. We earned on average $33 million per match. There is no other cup competition in the world that comes close to $33 million per match.
"It is already the most successful club competition in the world with all different measurements."
On the financial end, it appears to have been successful.
But some, and perhaps many of the participants, such as players and coaches, would disagree.
They will note that many matches were played in the afternoon, at noon and 3 p.m., when the temperatures are either rising or at their highest.
'The worst idea'
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Juergen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool, reacts during the Premier ... More League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 30, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by)
During the tournament, former Liverpool head coach Juergen Klopp called the CWC, "the worst idea ever implemented in football."
"In the end, it's all about the game and not the surrounding aspects - and that's why the Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football in this regard," he told Welt in Germany.
"People who have never had anything to do with day-to-day business or who no longer have anything to do with it come up with something.
"Last year we had the Copa America and European Championship, this year the Club World Cup and next year then the World Cup.
"This means no real recovery for the players who are there, neither physically nor mentally."
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 04: Enzo Fernandez #8 of Chelsea FC celebrates following the FIFA ... More Club World Cup 2025 quarter final match between SE Palmeiras and Chelsea FC at Lincoln Financial Field on July 04, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by)
On Friday, Chelsea captain and defender Enzo Fernandez, a member of the Argentine squad that captured the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, complained about competing in the scorching heat.
"Honestly, the heat is incredible," he said during a press conference. The other day I had to lie down on the ground because I was really dizzy. Playing in this temperature is very dangerous, it's very dangerous. Moreover, for the spectacle, for the people who come to enjoy the stadium, for the people who watch it at home.
"The game, the speed of the game is not the same, everything becomes very slow. Well, let's hope that next year they change the schedule, at least so that it remains a beautiful and attractive football spectacle, right?"
And that is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, of other players and coaches criticizing playing in the heat.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 05: FIFA President Gianni Infantino presents The FIFA Club World Cup ... More Trophy during the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Draw at Telemundo Studios on December 05, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by)
In terms of avoiding the heat, Infantino said that in contrast to the Club World Cup, the 2026 World Cup will have four stadiums with roofs - Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium), Dallas (AT&T Stadium), Houston (NRG Stadium) and Vancouver (BC Place). It should be noted that there is a dozen other 2026 World Cup venues that won't have roofs and will be susceptible to weather (heat and thunderstorms).
Atlanta was the lone indoor facility at the Club World Cup.
The FIFA president said that added that his organization is studying methods to improve playing conditions.
"Every criticism we receive is a source for us to study and analyze what can do better," Infantino added.
"Of course, the heat is an issue. Last year, at the Olympic Games in Paris, games during the day, in all sports, took place in very hot conditions.
'Cooling breaks are very important, and we will see what we can do, but we have stadiums with roofs, and we will definitely use these stadiums during the day next year.'
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 28: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and FIFA President Gianni Infantino ... More pose for photographs with a soccer uniform in the Oval Office at the White House August 28, 2018 in Washington, DC. The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and will be the first World Cup in history to be held in three countries at the same time. (Photo by)
Infantino said that that U.S. President Donald Trump will attend Sunday's final between UEFA Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain and UEFA Conference League champion Chelsea. Earlier in the week, Infantino announced that FIFA would open an office at Trump Tower.
"President Trump will be at the final," he said, according to www.espn.com. "He loves soccer. In his first term as President there was a soccer goal in the White House garden.
"President Trump is the President of the U.S., one of the host countries for the World Cup, and he embraced immediately the Club World Cup as well.
"Events like these are huge events. You can't stage tournaments like this without his support."