EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca believes that the new iteration of the FIFA Club World Cup, which his side won in stunning fashion 3-0 over Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday evening at MetLife Stadium, can rival the UEFA Champions League — considered by many to be the premier club competition on the planet.
“I told my players I have a feeling this competition could become just as important or even more important than the Champions League,” Maresca said, a winner’s medal wrapped around his neck.
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It is a lofty statement, but one that gained considerable momentum this summer. FIFA president Gianni Infantino revamped the competition, which began in 2000 and mostly occurred annually to little fanfare.
Taking a year off in 2024, the Club World Cup returned in the United States, featuring 32 teams comprising continental champions or those who fulfilled FIFA’s ranking criteria over the previous three years.
Some of the most recognizable clubs were featured, whether it was PSG, who had won a treble of major trophies (Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Champions League) between April and May, or Spanish giants Real Madrid, or the unmistakable bianconeri of Italy’s Juventus. Though the room was made for others, such as amateur side Auckland City or Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami, who had not won a league title but featured the legendary Lionel Messi, which could have gone to more deserving clubs like Liverpool or Barcelona — even if it created a European-heavy field.
Maresca’s former team, Manchester City, with which he served as an assistant under Pep Guardiola, also competed at the Club World Cup after winning four straight Premier League titles and the 2023 Champions League.
“A few years ago, I was lucky enough to be part of a tactical staff which won the Champions League and I enjoyed every minute of it,” Maresca began. “I think that this competition uniting all the best clubs in the world will becom more important.”
PSG manager Luis Enrique said the tournament consisted of a “rather interesting format,” which included “high-level, high-stakes competition.”
Much of that was undoubtedly created by the $1 billion prize fund doled out by FIFA by way of the streaming service, DAZN, which paid such a sum to be the exclusive broadcast partner of the Club World Cup, and then received an identical sum from the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
For seven matches over the month-long tournament, Chelsea received $113.4 million — $40 million of which came from winning the Final on Sunday just outside of New York City.
By comparison, Liverpool received approximately $234 million in prize funds for winning the Premier League, which is a nine-month season. PSG took home approximately $155 million for their Champions League triumph.
“”We value it just as much as winning the Champios League because we can give this championship to the Chelsea fans,” Maresca said. “And it will be a source of price to wear the winner’s badge.”
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