Image Courtesy : Mihigo Saddam /Twitter
FIFA will pay nearly Rs 3000 crore to European football clubs to send their players to the World Cups in 2026 and 2030. On Monday, 27 March, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman of the European Club Association, confirmed the development, describing it as a landmark agreement.
Reuters reports the fee has increased by nearly 70 per cent since the previous agreement. Rather than $209 million for the 2018 and 2022 competitions, FIFA will pay $355 million.
As part of the Club Benefits Programme, the deal has been reached. In exchange for the release of players, clubs receive a share of the revenues generated by national team competitions. As well as protecting clubs, it protects their players if they are injured while on international duty.
🚨 ECA chair Nasser Al-Khelaifi backs Gianni Infantino's new expanded Club World Cup format and announces a new MOU with FIFA to increase club benefits by 70%. Al-Khelaifi was outlining his ECA vision at the General Assembly in Hungary. pic.twitter.com/iZAxx2T5uG
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) March 27, 2023
“As part of the MoU, clubs are recognized as the core of the game globally and ensured that their voices are heard in decision-making around the issues that affect them,” an ECA statement stated.
From June 2025, FIFA will hold a 32-team Club World Cup every four years, replacing its current competition with seven teams. Leagues such as La Liga in Spain opposed the decision. However, FIFA and the ECA will now cooperate on various sporting and commercial aspects of the 2025 edition under the terms of the MoU as part of the Club Benefits
