FIFA to confirm Club World Cup venues within the next seven days

FIFA President Gianni Infantino was forced to stage an emergency meeting last Friday in an attempt resolve a series of factors affecting the 2025 Club World Cup.

The game’s global governing body have struggled to find a broadcast rights agreement for it’s new expanded Club World Cup where Infantino spoke with several top executives from the broadcasting industry on a Zoom call to try and resolve the ongoing major issue facing the organisation regarding the tournament.

One of the outcomes from the meeting was Infantino promising to confirm the cities and stadiums where the games will be staged with the matches principally earmarked for the East coast with stadiums on the West poised to stage the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

It’s thought that games will be played at both NFL and grounds depending on the teams involved.

Two spaces remain available at the tournament with one allocated to the winners of the 2024 Copa Libertadores and one berth set to go to a ‘host team’.

Player burnout

The clubs involved on the Zoom call were anxious to secure more clarity on revenues for participating with the competition already generating controversy in an already packed fixture list with a series of players coming out and voicing their concerns about burnout.

Player’s union FIFPRO has already commenced legal proceedings against the world football’s governing body as they look to seek to protect players’ rights to guaranteed and protected breaks with English players’ union, The Professional Footballers’ Association and their French counterparts UNFP are co-claimants.