FIFA president Gianni Infantino is reportedly organizing an emergency meeting concerning broadcasting rights for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup matches. The briefing, which includes several top television executives, comes as the competition is less than nine months away and no official announcements have been made regarding venues, training bases, or broadcasting partners.
The governing body has encountered difficulties in attracting suitable offers for the tournament. Despite seeking around $4 billion from a broadcaster to handle both the 2025 and 2029 tournaments, no media company has submitted a bid close to this figure.
Apple was previously considered as a potential broadcaster but only bid up to $1 billion - merely a quarter of what FIFA was hoping for. This financial gap led to negotiations falling through earlier this summer.
Open bidding process yields no major offers
Following the failed agreement with Apple, FIFA opened the tender process for broadcasting rights across various regions including Americas, Asia, Middle East and North Africa. However, no deals were struck before deadlines passed.
A similar process began recently for other global regions with a deadline set on September 24th. Yet news of an emergency meeting suggests that serious offers are still not forthcoming. Without securing major deals in place it may be challenging for FIFA to pay participating clubs substantial funds. There have even been suggestions that clubs might need to accept lower fees in order play at the tournament.
Teams are also uncertain about how much prize money will be available next summer with Europe’s most elite clubs expecting at least $50 million each - it remains unclear how these fees will be funded by FIFA.
Low interest among broadcasters
Broadcasters' main concern seems rooted in perceived lack of interest in Club World Cup among soccer fans globally coupled with absence of several top clubs like Arsenal, Barcelona Liverpool and Manchester United from the 2025 tournament. The absence of popular players like Cristiano Ronaldo and potentially Lionel Messi also adds to the lack of appeal for broadcasters.
FIFA officials are not only dealing with low interest but also legal issues due to expanding the competition from seven teams to 32, resulting in more matches for participating teams. This move has been met with criticism from players, coaches, fans and even FIFPro - the global soccer players union which represents around 65,000 professional players worldwide.
FIFA's struggle to secure broadcasting rights for the upcoming Club World Cup highlights a range of challenges including financial gaps in negotiations, low interest among broadcasters and fans as well as legal issues surrounding tournament expansion. It remains to be seen how these will be addressed in time for next summer's competition.
