Manchester City's accountants and transfer team can start planning for the summer knowing they are set for a huge payday at the Club World Cup - but how much could come down to just one game.
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Manchester City head to the Club World Cup knowing they will likely have to beat Real Madrid to retain their crown. But it's up to them when they face Carlo Ancelotti's men.
The Manchester City accounting department will have been licking their lips when FIFA confirmed the huge $1bn prize pot for the Club World Cup this summer. Hugo Viana and his new transfer team will, too.
City head to the USA to defend their Club World Cup crown, and will do so knowing they are set to earn a guaranteed sum up to £29.58m before their first group game kicks off. That participation fee is determined on a sliding scale for European clubs depending on sporting and commercial criteria. Given City qualified with the highest FIFA coefficient ranking and rival only Real Madrid for brand value, they can be confident of pocketing a figure towards the maximum.
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They will be confident, too, of victories against Wydad and Al Ain in their opening two group games in Philadelphia and Atlanta. Wins in the group stage will be worth £1.55m each, and assuming rivals Juventus also beat the other two teams in Group G, City will go into the third and final group contest in Orlando already through to the last-16 barring any surprises.
That will be worth a guaranteed £5.81m for City as the prize money adds up before the competition really gets started. However the showdown with Juventus in Orlando will have far more pressure (and more money) on the line.
It is likely to be a shoot-out for top spot in the group, with the winners staying in Orlando to face the runner up of Group H. Given the names in that group, it's relatively safe to assume it will be one of Al Hilal, Pachuca or Red Bull Salzburg. The other club making up the group? Real Madrid.
Win Group G, and City would avoid Madrid until a potential final. Their route to the showpiece in that scenario could be something like Al Hilal, Inter Milan then River Plate or Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals and Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich or PSG in the semi-finals.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - JULY 30: A general view of Camping World Stadium prior to a pre-season match between Manchester City and FC Barcelona at Camping World Stadium on July 30, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)
City face Juventus at the Camping World Stadium, Orlando, in their Club World Cup group game in June. They faced Barcelona in a friendly at the same venue last summer.
The prize money for a quarter-final spot is worth £10.16m, a semi-final place is £16.26m, with £23.23m on offer for the runner-up or £30.98m if they won the whole tournament. A total of £57.4m from the quarter-finals onwards up for grabs.
But should City come second to Juventus in the group, a last-16 tie in Miami against Real Madrid almost certainly awaits. There are obviously no guaranteed ties on either side of the draw, yet City would be far more confident of unlocking the prize money opportunities without facing Madrid early on.
It is more pressing given Pep Guardiola's admission that City were far away from Carlo Ancelotti's side in their Champions League play-off defeat over two legs this season. The Blues showed at the Etihad that they can match Real even if they threw away a lead, so would back themselves whenever they face the Spanish giants.
And just like the Champions League, a healthy mindset will be that they will have to beat Real Madrid if they want to win the World Cup. However, facing them in a final with as much as £89m already pocketed will be much easier than a last-16 clash where £57m is still on the line. And the difference in those two scenarios will likely come down to the group game with Juventus on June 26.
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