FIFA Club World Cup: How Much Clubs Will Earn After Ancelotti’s Controversial Statement

• Carlo Ancelotti stoked some controversy when he claimed that Real Madrid will decline to participate in the new format of the FIFA Club World Cup
• The 15-time Champions League winners put out a statement defying their manager and confirmed their 'enthusiasm' to play at the tournament
• Ancelotti's issue was around the prize kitty on offer for the expanded tournament and Sports Brief has now broken down how much teams will earn

Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti, certainly ruffled some feathers with a bare-knuckle interview about the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

He made a fiery statement that the record European Champions would not honour the invite to participate in the expanded tournament next year.

The veteran Italian manager took issue with the prize kitty on offer at the revamped tournament, stating categorically that 'it wasn't worth their while'.

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"FIFA can forget about that. Footballers and clubs will not participate in that tournament. A single Madrid match is worth €20 million, and FIFA wants to give us that figure for the entire tournament," he said on Il Giornale.

Real Madrid's stance on the FIFA Club World Cup

The recently turned 65-year-old has since retracted his statement, with Real Madrid confirming they would participate in the tournament, which is set to be held in the USA next year.

"Our club will compete, as planned, in this official competition that we face with pride and with the utmost enthusiasm to make our millions of fans worldwide dream again with a new title," read part of the club statement.

Despite the back and forth, was Ancelotti right about the money big clubs like Real Madrid will earn? Sports Brief sought to find these answers, but first, what does the new Club World Cup look like?

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New FIFA Club World Cup format

The FIFA Club World Cup tournament has been expanded to 32 teams, with representatives from each of the six international confederations.

The 32 teams will be split into eight groups of four teams each, with the top two teams at the end of the round-robin format qualifying for the Round of 16.

Of the 32 teams, UEFA will produce 12 teams, CONMEBOL will have six teams, and CAF, AFC, and CONCACAF will each have four representatives. OFC will have one team as well as the host country.

FIFA Club World Cup prize money

So, how much money do these clubs stand to earn by participating in the inaugural competition slated for June 15 to July 13, 2025?

Transfermarkt understands that the total prize kitty for the competition is €2.5bil. Each of the 32 teams will receive €50mil for qualifying alone, with the rest of the money divided on merit, i.e., where a club eventually finishes. The winner could get as much as €100mil.

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Ancelotti's statement of FIFA giving clubs like Real Madrid €20mil is therefore untrue.

European teams that have qualified for the 2025 Club World Cup

Sports Brief had earlier reported about the European teams that had qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup.

All the 12 teams were confirmed as the Champions League progressed to determine the club's coefficients.

Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Chelsea will lead the continent as winners of the most recent UCL titles.