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FIFA
The Premier League is the richest in the world and their clubs have just been told that even more money is heading their way.
The Premier League spent more money than the rest of the top five leagues put together with every chance that more was spent than the entirety of the continent.
Despite UEFA’s best attempts, the various TV deals and exposure of the Premier League across the world makes it the biggest and most accessible league on the planet. The knock-on effect is that commercial, sponsorship, marketing and merchandise revenue has also gone through the roof allowing clubs to spend more than ever before.
Premier League clubs learn of FIFA World Cup cash boost
The Club World Cup gave Chelsea the chance to earn an extra £100m or so with FIFA president Gianni Infantino announcing another increased revenue stream for those who fill their squads with the best international players with the enhanced edition of the FIFA Club Benefits Programme for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
“It is going a step further by recognising financially the huge contribution that so many clubs and their players around the world make to the staging of both the qualifiers and the final tournament," the former UEFA chief said in a statement, via Reuters.
“A record USD 355 million (£260m) will be distributed to clubs for the release of their players, and this reinforces our solid collaboration with the European Club Association and clubs worldwide as we all look forward to a groundbreaking and globally inclusive edition of the FIFA World Cup next year.” This figure is up from £153m from Qatar 2022 with a 70% increase showing the ever-increasing influence of the biggest club sides.
What role have the clubs had in negotiating increased payment?
Paris Saint Germain’s Nasser Al-Khelaifi who is also chairman of the European Clubs Association explained their role in negotiating an increased compensation for clubs whose players will be representing their respective countries in the Americas: "At ECA we are pleased to have collaborated with FIFA to support the development of this innovative new FIFA Club Benefits Programme.
“It will ensure even more clubs across the world are rewarded for releasing players and highlights exactly how ECA’s Memorandum of Understanding with FIFA supports the ongoing growth of the global club game.
"Clubs play a pivotal role in the success of national team football and this initiative recognises every element of it, from early development through to release for the most important games. We look forward to continuing to work closely with FIFA, and the global football community, to ensure we keep driving growth and development of international football."
The added bonus is, even if players are called up by their country but don’t see any game time, the clubs that they play for will still be compensated accordingly. How much will each club get? Each player called up counts, however, in 2020, there were 440 represented. Which means there won’t quite be enough to fund a summer transfer splurge despite Chelsea and Arsenal having as many as 18 players and Tottenham having 23 who could be called up.
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