Chelsea look set to be in line for a significant financial boost after FIFA finally managed to sell the broadcast rights for next summer’s Club World Cup at a huge sum.
World football’s governing body is hoping that the revamped and expanded competition next summer, which will be held in the United States from June 15 to July 13, with 32 teams from across the UEFA, CAF, CONCACAF, AFC, CONMEBOL and OFC regions.
Given that the expanded format had essentially created a new competition, one where it isn’t known just how high the interest will be in it, there were serious question marks that existed around just how much FIFA could expect to rake in from broadcasters.
For the competing 32 clubs, where Chelsea and Manchester City will be flying the flag for the Premier League, how much FIFA could raise from the rights auction was important as it has a direct impact on how much the clubs can earn from taking part in the competition.
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Earlier this year, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti had expressed his own concerns, even going so far as to say the club wouldn’t be taking part as it didn’t make financial sense because more money could be achieved by going on a pre-season tour and hosting exhibition games on their own back.
That created a concern for FIFA in that clubs could end up sending ‘reserve’ squads to compete, diluting the appeal of the competition, choosing instead to send their true first-team stars where the money was, in the markets where they have significant commercial partners that they need to keep happy on an annual basis.
But this week it was announced that DAZN had acquired the rights to broadcast for a sum of around $1bn (£780m), a development that will embolden competing clubs in putting their eggs in the Club World Cup basket, with sums of as much as $50m (£39.2m) each for those taking part mooted.
That would be hugely impactful for a club such as Chelsea during the summer, with that money able to be realised in the 2025/26 financial year, further easing some of the pressures that have built up due to the heavy spend on transfer fees.
Whether or not the sum DAZN are paying is value for money or not remains to be seen, but the games will be shown globally, for free, with the company to sub-license the rights to free-to-air channels in other markets. The deal is reported to be just for one year only.
For Chelsea and club owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, the prospects of a lucrative summer now look more rosy, especially given that FIFA also managed to add Bank of America to its list of sponsors, after Anheuser-Busch and Hisense, further adding to the financial pot that will be available for clubs.