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Marshall: Man City land £38million bonus but face a challenge to repeat the trick

Manchester City made around £38million from their participation in the Club World Cup but they now need to book their spot in the next tournament.

Manchester City made around £38million from the Club World Cup

Manchester City didn't hit the jackpot at the Club World Cup but the money men can still be pleased with their stay in the United States, banking up to £38million. Not bad for three weeks' work.

The Blues would have been eyeing up more than that once the draw opened up for them. Had they gone on to win the 32-team tournament, they would have landed £97million, but their shock defeat to Al Hilal in the last-16 stage put paid to those dreams.

In the end, City won £10million in prize money. That includes £1.5million for every group stage win and a further £5.5million for reaching the last-16.

On top of that, there is the participation fee that FIFA has handed to all 32 teams competing in the jamboree, and although those figures haven't been made public, we can make an educated guess at what City will receive.

FIFA revealed before the tournament that the fee for the 12 European clubs competing would vary from around £9.5million to £28million. Although the formula for those rewards hasn't been revealed, it is likely to be based on coefficients or previous success, and City are likely to be very close to the maximum £28million fee.

The money made at the Club World Cup has offset a chunk of the £111million spent before the tournament began on Marcus Bettinelli, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, and Rayan Cherki. While the tournament has its critics, the financial rewards on offer mean it is being embraced by clubs.

The next edition will be held in 2029, with the hosts yet to be confirmed. The qualification process is already underway, and Paris Saint-Germain booked their spot by winning the Champions League this season. Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, Pyramids in Egypt, and Mexico's Cruz Azul have also qualified.

There are 11 more spaces up for grabs for European clubs. Three of them will go to the winners of the Champions League in 2026, 2027 and 2028, while the next eight places will be filled by the highest-ranked clubs in UEFA's coefficient from 2024 to 2028 that haven't already qualified.

One complication is that only two clubs can qualify from each European country. No English side has yet booked a place, but if City were to see two domestic rivals win the Champions League ahead of them or finish above them in the UEFA rankings, they would miss out no matter what.

A Champions League title in the next three years would almost certainly guarantee the Blues a spot in the tournament. Beyond that, they need to hope two different Premier League clubs aren't crowned European champions and produce consistent enough performances of their own to climb the rankings.

Their disappointing showing in Europe last season leaves them outside the qualification period at the moment. There is plenty of time to put that right if they start reaching the latter rounds of the Champions League once again, and having made a tidy sum from this edition of the tournament, City will hope they do enough to return in 2029.

Kevin de Bruyne - special edition ON SALE NOW

Kevin de Bruyne is one of - if not the - greatest players to play for Manchester City.

He leaves the club having won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups and a memorable Champions League victory!

To mark his amazing time at the Etihad Stadium, this special edition has been produced - KDB The King - to celebrate Kev's career with the Blues. We look back at his 10 best games in Blue, celebrate his title wins and hear from the City boss and a host of team-mates and football elite who give their views on what makes him so special.

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