Chelsea are aiming to become the first winners of the new Club World Cup tonight and they could land a sizeable jackpot if they win the tournament.
Manchester City and Al Hilal players
Manchester City made £38million from the Club World Cup but it could have been so much more
Manchester City made a tidy enough sum from the Club World Cup, pocketing a fee in the region of £38million for their work in the United States, but it could have been so much more.
Just how much more will be revealed tonight. The winners of the first final of the new 32-team tournament between Paris St-Germain and Chelsea will collect around £97million, with the losers collecting £10million less.
It is an astonishing sum for a four-week tournament, and if PSG are crowned world champions, it will complete a remarkable few weeks for Luis Enrique's side after they were crowned European champions for the first time.
But Chelsea have impressed across the Atlantic and will fancy their chances of an upset. They could also do with the £97million, which would puncture a sizeable hole in their issues around the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). In a summer when they have again gone big in the transfer market, it would be a huge bonus.
It's arguably made the £60million signing of Joao Pedro worth it, given the former Brighton forward scored both goals in the semi-final win against Fluminense.
City's winnings were lower than expected, even if they remain impressive figures. The draw opened up for them, but they were on the wrong end of a shock 4-3 defeat to Al Hilal in the last-16.
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.
In addition, FIFA has handed a participation fee 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.
Chelsea winning the jackpot and the trophy - probably valued in that order - would give them a £60million boost over City. But will it be worth it?
They have played all seven games in the United States by going the distance, and when the tournament wraps up in New Jersey tonight, they will head off for a break.
City's early exit means their players have had four weeks off and will return for pre-season training in July 28, giving them almost three weeks to prepare for the start of the Premier League season.
Chelsea's players might get three weeks off and then have just under two weeks to prepare for the start of the domestic season. Nobody knows how playing in this tournament will affect players, but everyone in the game believes there will be an impact.
Will Enzo Maresca's start side slowly as they aren't up to speed? Or will their summer exertions keep them going, only for a drop-off in the winter when the schedule is unrelenting? It will be a remarkable achievement if they avoid either.
Given PSG's domestic dominance, those challenges will be a little easier for them to navigate. In the Premier League, you can't afford any slight drop-off, as City found last season, and while Chelsea might be counting their money tonight, they could yet count the cost later in the season.
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clickinghere to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Clickhere to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, includingSpotify andApple Podcasts, and you can also watch along onYouTube.