KEIR RADNEDGE in DOHA: FIFA really is proposing to launch its long-delayed, expanded Club World Cup in 2025 and United States will be among the favourites to step up as inaugural hosts.

Gianni Infantino, president of the world governing body, confirmed a decision in principle by an early-morning meeting of the FIFA Council. He told a press conference: “We agreed that a new men’s Club World Cup will take place in 2025 with 32 teams, the best teams in the world.

“The details still need to be discussed and decided but it will go ahead, making it really like a World Cup.”

Infantino dealt with concerns of player health issues by explaining that, in effect, the new Club World Cup would take the calendar slot created by the scrapping of the Confederations Cup which was contested last in 2017.

The Confed Cup had been a traditional ‘dummy run’ for World Cup hosts one year out from the finals. This is one reason why a central and North American staging would make sense since Canada, Mexico and United States will cohost the World Cup a year later, in 2026.

Pet project

An expanded Club World Cup has long been a pet project of Infantino. Initially it was pencilled in for China in 2023 but then Chinese state enthusiasm for football waned, Infantino was unable to confirm financial underwriters and the Covid pandemic hit.

European federation UEFA has always been jealous to guard the status and revenues of its own Champions League. However UEFA may be a little more relaxed now that the danger of a putative European Super League has been virtually quashed by a European Court of Justice direction.

Infantino did not enter into financial details but he was “bullish” – to use his own word – about FIFA’s financial prospects over the next four-year cycle.

He said that revenues for the past four years had reached $7.5bn. This was $1bn up on the previous cycle which was “remarkable” considering the interruption of the COVID pandemic. The budget for 2023-2027 was up 50pc at $11m. This owed much to financial expectations surrounding the central/north American World Cup in 2026.

Infantino said that $10m would be invested in football development including $200m to support a new “talent development scheme” being overseen by global development chief Arsene Wenger.

Other decisions:

1, the new international calendar will see the September and October international breaks merged to reduce travel stress on players while the March window will be developed with the launch of four-team mini tournaments to offer players greater intercontinental playing experience;

2, the women’s football calendar will be extended until 2025 to enable the launch of the long-promised Women’s Club World Cup;

3, Hosting rights to the 2030 World Cup will be decided by congress in 2024;

4, discussions would be opened with the International Olympic Committee to expand the women’s team entry at the Games to match the men’s 16;

5, Morocco will host the 2022 Club World Cup February 1-11, 2023.

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