A win worth up to £30m? Chelsea close in on Club World Cup jackpot

Chelsea are now on the verge of winning the Club World Cup, which has attracted a lot of attention for the incredible wealth on offer this year.

With a score of 2-0 over Fluminense, Tuesday’s victory secured them a spot in the final as well as a prize purse of almost £22 million.

If Real Madrid or Paris St-Germain are able to defeat them on Sunday, The Blues will win even more.

Initial estimates for the potential prize money were 97 million, but the exchange rate between US dollars and British pounds has changed since, leaving the amount of money that could be won at around 92 million.

Manchester City were on course to win that, winning all of their group games and earning the maximum participation fee of £27.8 million before exiting the last 16.

Depending on “sporting and commercial criteria,” the participation fee for European teams varies.

According to BBC Sport, Chelsea are on the upper end of the scale, but they do not receive as much, which means that their total prize money was only slightly less than City’s.

Both teams won the Champions League in their previous four seasons, making them eligible for the tournament.

South American clubs make about £11 million, while North American teams make just under $ 7 million.

Regardless of where you are from, the prize money fluctuates depending on how far you travel.

Chelsea’s total prize pot now exceeds £80 million thanks to their semi-final victory over Brazilian side Fluminense, though Fifa have not confirmed their precise participation fee.

The Blues will also receive an additional $7.3 million if they win the trophy, a total of £21.9 million for reaching the final.

However, Chelsea’s overall prize money for the competition would be more than enough to cover the cost of the club’s purchase, with some of the remaining funds going toward the £30m signing of Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap.

It will also aid in the $29 million investment that Palmeiras will make in Estevao Willian after the World Cup, while the club’s $48 million signing of Jamie Gittens from Dortmund will add another expensive addition.

Rayan Ait-Nouri, a left-back for Wolves, assisted a goal in their 5-2 win over Juventus, for which Manchester City paid £31 million, with an additional £7 million or so in earnings.

Particularly when you consider that the tournament has only seven games until the winner is announced.

PSG won the Champions League last season for about $95 million, but their total winning streak totaled 17 games.

In the 38-game Premier League, prize money is more nuanced and dependent on revenues, but Manchester City, the champion of 2023 to 241, won £175.9 million.

Crystal Palace’s FA Cup victory this year only paid them £3.9 million, on the other end of the scale.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola stated in a statement in March that his squad “don’t deserve” to see any of the prize money on offer.

It follows a difficult and trophy-less campaign, despite City’s impressive performance in the competition prior to their shock exit.

Guardiola claimed that the season’s “we don’t deserve a bonus.” If you win, I’m not sure how much of the bonus goes to the club.

We don’t deserve anything from the managers, the backroom staff, the players, not even a watch, they say.

Despite the wealth on offer, Chelsea manager Maresca claims he hasn’t felt any extra pressure.

Before their final group game against ES Tunis, Maresca stated, “The owners just want the best for us and for the players game by game, and they are not talking about the final prize or the final reward in terms of money.”

Claudius Schafer, president of the European Leagues, stated in March that he worries about the distorted competitions in the domestic leagues as a result of the distortion caused by the Club World Cup prize money.

He said, “If an Austrian league club receives $50 million, that will have a significant impact on [that] league.”

Salzburg will have retained at least £11.5 million despite missing out on a group stage.

In an argument involving MLS players over bonuses, the Seattle Sounders vowed to play in T-shirts with “Club World Ca $h Grab” written on the front.