Everybody was against it, but somehow FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino forced it – Club World Cup will be held in a totally new format this June. UEFA was against it, and the vast majority of European clubs too, but Infantino did not back down and no less than 32 clubs will take place in the USA on Saturday, in a revamped competition which will be held every four years, instead of annually. It will feature the last four champions of Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, CONCACAF, and Oceania. In addition, Europe and South America will each have eight representatives, which likely includes the four losing finalists of the UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores. One of the reasons Infantino’s idea worked is money – The winners of the Club World Cup will receive up to £97m ($125m) from FIFA. Prize money of £774m ($1bn) is to be shared between the 32 clubs – with £406m ($525m) participation fee shared based on sporting and commercial criteria, and £368m ($475m) shared based on sporting performance. But just days before the start, Infantino’s problems are just beginning.PSG and Atletico, welcome to the war zone!There are two major problems (at the moment): tickets sale and migrants issues. When the tournament was first announced, the tickets for the event were not cheap. After all, Infantino tried to raise the prize money from the final users – football fans. But turns out, USA citizens are still not so keen on ‘soccer’ even when Real Madrid and Manchester City are coming to town. Also, the venues in the USA are big, as we are talking about 50 to 80.000 seated stadiums and they are not easy to sell. The Athletic reported that after the draw in December 2024, the cheapest ticket was 349 dollars, but tickets have been listed at 67 dollars on FIFA’s official ticketing partner Ticketmaster. FIFA also tried to get more people in with special offers, like the one in Miami. The governing body had launched a partnership with the college last year, offering the chance for students to intern at their Miami office. The promotion provided ‘up to four complimentary tickets to the opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup with the purchase of one ticket at the reduced student price of 20 dollars’, which in reality meant that some tickets to watch Messi and Inter Miami on Sunday be priced at only four dollars. Obviously, that was not enough as new reports are now saying that FIFA have closed sections of stadiums for some Club World Cup matches due to a lack of ticket sales.Relief for Kenyan referee as State intervention secures U.S. visaThe second problem are migrants issues, for which Infantino can only blame the USA president Donald Trump. Since coming to power again, Trump promised to tackle down huge immigrant community and only in the last four months, America reported around 200.000 illegal workers. Migrants are protesting over measures taken by Trump and some rallies have finished in violence in Los Angeles, so the president had to involve the National Guard and the military, which caused even more protests. For example, PSG and Atletico Madrid are currently training in Los Angeles. The news coming from the USA today are not good either. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have confirmed that federal immigration agents will be present at the Club World Cup matches starting this Sunday in several U.S. cities. This measure, which the institutions present as a “customary” display before a major sporting event, has generated even more tension and alarm among a large part of the population, which is stunned by their government’s missteps on immigration.FIFA FAFO: ICE to ARREST & DEPORT people at Club World Cup games at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. #BecauseMiamiFIFA kicks off Saturday at Hard Rock with InterMiami playing Egypt — and ICE is warning that “all non-American citizens need to carry proof of status.”🎥@ariodzernbc6 pic.twitter.com/h0I00vdC5w— Because Miami (@BecauseMiami) June 11, 2025 The second issue are the players themselves. For example, a Boca Juniors defender Ayrton Costa has seen his visa application denied twice by the US and he won’t be able to participate. According to Mundo Deportivo, he was named in an attempted robbery case in Argentina in 2018 but was granted probation in 2023 to avoid a trial. Costa’s name also appeared in a domestic violence murder for which his brother is a defendant, according to Marca. Then there is more. There is the fear of attending stadiums among many fans who live in the United States but have not been able to legalize their residency, a process that could take several decades. There are players who are afraid to leave the USA as their migration status is still unresolved and they could be denied their entry when travelling back to America. This problem is not connected with the FIFA Club World Cup, but rather shows the full scale of problems connected with Donald Trump’s new immigration policy.##NAJAVA_MECA_8977551##
