Real Madrid’s manager, Carlo Ancelotti, has announced that the club will decline the invitation to participate in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, expressing dissatisfaction with the competition’s prize money.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Giornale, Ancelotti was forthright, stating, “Real Madrid will NOT go to the FIFA World Club, we will reject the invitation like other clubs.”
Ancelotti elaborated on the club’s decision, highlighting the significant financial gap between the tournament’s prize money and the revenue generated from a single Real Madrid match.
“Just one single Real Madrid match is worth €20m, and they want to give us that money for the whole competition… no way. Negative,” Ancelotti told Il Giornale.
The FIFA Club World Cup, an annual international club football competition organized by FIFA, features the champions from each of the six continental confederations, UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, AFC, CAF, and OFC, as well as the host nation’s domestic league champions.
The tournament follows a straight knockout format over two weeks.
The champions from Oceania face the host nation’s champions in a play-off, with the winners joining the champions from Asia, Africa, and North America in the quarter-finals.
The European and South American champions enter at the semi-final stage.
Real Madrid holds the record for the most titles with five wins.
Spanish clubs have been the most successful with eight titles, while English clubs have won the tournament four times.
The current champions are Manchester City, who defeated Fluminense 4-0 in the 2023 final.
The next competition is scheduled for 2025.
