There is no doubt that the world of football is headed for a major battle between FIFA and UEFA in the coming years, and the main reason for this will be the new Club World Cup.
Foot Mercato confirmed that the 2025 World Cup, with 32 teams, was a huge success in terms of audiences, as demonstrated by the figures in South America specifically, where the number of viewers exceeded 50 million in Brazil alone.
The Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atlético Madrid match in the group stage attracted more than 3.8 million viewers in France, and the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final matches are expected to be even more popular and interactive.
FIFA believes that the World Cup has been a success and has brought huge profits to everyone, including FIFA, the participating clubs, and the host country. Therefore, President Gianni Infantino is considering a proposal to hold the Club World Cup every two years, instead of the previous decision to hold the competition every four years.
Infantino wants to strengthen FIFA’s control over the international football calendar, which would open the door to a crisis with UEFA, which dominates the competition thanks to the Champions League, the world’s most popular club football competition.
At the same time, FIFA finds itself under a barrage of criticism from European federations and leagues, most notably La Liga, after President Javier Tebas announced that he would fight to prevent the World Cup from being held again due to the negative effects of holding it in the summer and the increased pressure on players, which would lead to more fatigue and injuries.
In reality, several countries are competing fiercely to host the 2029 World Cup, such as Qatar, Morocco, Brazil, and Spain. This makes European attempts to block the competition virtually futile, but the expected controversy will be intense in the coming months.
