Arsenal Insider can reveal that the Gunners would be in favour of expanding the FIFA Club World Cup, especially given they would be virtually guaranteed £30 million in revenue.
All of the Premier League’s top six clubs would also favour FIFA expanding the tournament from the 32 teams that competed in the United States in the summer of 2025.
🌍 Would you be in favour of Arsenal spending a summer at the FIFA Club World Cup?
The revenue chances are exponential, with clubs set to make between £30 million and £90 million, depending on how far they go in the tournament.
Ahead of the next FIFA Club World Cup in 2026, Arsenal Insider has spoken to the site’s Head of Football Finance, Adam Williams, to find out more.
Arsenal are in favour of expanding the FIFA Club World Cup
Arsenal will be hopeful of qualifying for the next FIFA Club World Cup in 2029 and would no doubt be in favour of seeing the tournament expanded.
An expansion could see four English clubs being involved, which would almost certainly guarantee the North London club a spot.
Speaking about the tournament, Williams told Arsenal Insider: “As far as I’m aware, all of the so-called Big Six clubs, including Arsenal, are in favour of the Club World Cup – and indeed in favour of expanding it.
“There is a political element to all of this, and Arsenal need to square it with their interest at the UEFA and Premier League levels. But if more English teams are allowed into the Club World Cup, the better the chance that Arsenal will be one of them.
“If it’s four English clubs every four years, Arsenal will probably have an 80 per cent chance of being one of them because it’s based on UEFA’s coefficients.”
Williams has also revealed that Arsenal would stand to make at least £30 million in revenue should they qualify for the tournament, with the winner taking around £90 million.
“If we use the prize money that they gave out in America as the benchmark, Arsenal would be virtually guaranteed £30m in extra revenue even if they turned up to the tournament and lost every game 10-0. If they went and won the Club World Cup, it could go to £90m-plus,” he said.
“On top of that, you have the chance to market your team in an overseas commercial market. FIFA are always going to host the tournament in either an established commercial mecca like the US or one with huge upside, like the Middle East or Asia-Pacific.”
FIFA Club World Cup concern for 2029
There is one small concern for the FIFA Club World Cup 2029, and that is whether FIFA would be able to match the £750 million prize pot from last year.
“The concern that the likes of Arsenal will have when they set their stall out, however, will be whether FIFA is capable of delivering the same prize money at the next Club World Cup in 2029. In 2025, they were only able to give out roughly £750m in prize money because their TV deal was underwritten by Saudi Arabia, who have their own reasons to be friendly to the governing body,” added Williams.
“Can they repeat that or get another politically interested party to back the tournament to the same extent in three-and-a-half years’ time? Let’s see. It may be that they drum up interest artificially like this for a few editions before they try and generate TV revenue organically. Either way, it could be hugely lucrative for clubs like Arsenal.”
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