7 months ago
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Associated Press
Jun 5, 2025, 03:07 PM ET
GENEVA -- FIFA took different Saudi Arabian concern Thursday for the U.S.-hosted Club World Cup, announcing a top-tier commercialized woody with the kingdom's sovereign wealthiness fund, which holds bulk ownership of 1 of the 32 teams playing.
The Saudi state's Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the 75% proprietor of Riyadh nine Al Hilal, 1 of 4 teams successful the nationalist league it has controlled since 2023. PIF besides created the LIV Golf project.
FIFA said PIF was an authoritative spouse of the June 14-July 13 tourney being played successful 11 American cities, though the worth of the woody was not stated.
Saudi authorities wealth besides is efficaciously backing the Club World Cup broadcasting woody that has mostly backed the $1 cardinal tourney prize money being shared among the 32 teams, including Al Hilal, which volition get an introduction outgo of $9.55 million.
FIFA announced a planetary broadcast woody for the Club World Cup with streaming work DAZN successful December, 2 days earlier confirming Saudi Arabia arsenic big of the men's 2034 World Cup.
A wide speculated Saudi concern successful DAZN, reported to beryllium astir $1 billion, was confirmed respective weeks later.
FIFA besides signed Saudi authorities lipid institution Aramco to a World Cup sponsor this year.
The U.S. is hosting the archetypal 32-team Club World Cup which volition played each 4 years by teams that won an variation of a continental nine championship, oregon ranked highly by results implicit the four-year qualifying period. Inter Miami, with prima subordinate Lionel Messi, was invited by FIFA to correspond the big nation.
Al Hilal won the Asian Champions League successful 2021 and was drawn by FIFA successful a radical with Real Madrid, Pachuca and RB Salzburg.
The Club World Cup has go a idiosyncratic task of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has built adjacent ties since 2018 to Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the president of PIF.
The golden Club World Cup trophy has spent overmuch of this twelvemonth astatine the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to contiguous it to the winning squad astatine the last astatine MetLife Stadium successful East Rutherford, New Jersey. Trump besides has worked intimately with the LIV Golf tour.
