Fifa is poised to reveal hosting agreements with eight stadiums for the Club World Cup, providing the clearest sign yet that the contentious new tournament will proceed as scheduled next summer. The Guardian has discovered that Pasadena, Seattle, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Cincinnati, and two stadiums in New Jersey have been chosen as hosts by Fifa, which is in the final stages of completing contract negotiations with these venues.
Fifa has been plagued by rumors that the 32-team Club World Cup might need to be postponed, as they have yet to confirm any venues, sponsorship deals, prize money, or the sale of TV rights, just nine months before the tournament is set to begin. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti stirred a diplomatic controversy in June by stating that the Champions League holders would "refuse the invitation" due to insufficient financial rewards, while Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has suggested that players might boycott the tournament due to concerns about burnout.
The confirmation of the venues will mark a significant milestone for Fifa, who are believed to be optimistic that some of these announcements will be made next week. The process has been intricate due to Fifa’s decision to select a variety of stadium sizes, as the 32 teams qualified for the inaugural Club World Cup will attract significantly different fanbases. European giants like Real Madrid and Manchester City will draw massive crowds, whereas other qualifiers such as ES Tunis and Al Hilal may prove less popular.
Consequently, Fifa has chosen a mix of NFL and MLS stadiums, with New Jersey set to host two venues: the 87,157-seat MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford and the 25,000-seat Red Bull Arena in nearby Harrison. In a surprising move, given that the Concacaf Gold Cup is scheduled to take place in a similar area at the same time, there will be two venues on the west coast: the Rose Bowl in Pasadena and Lumen Field in Seattle. Three more NFL stadiums—Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta—have also been considered as potential venues for the competition by Fifa, along with the smaller Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, home to MLS club Orlando City SC.
Fifa has yet to determine which stadium will host the final and may conduct a formal tender process among the host cities. The next major challenge for the world governing body is to sell TV rights to the tournament after a proposed global streaming deal with Apple TV fell through earlier this year. A formal tender process for TV rights for the 2025 and 2029 Club World Cups was launched in July, but Fifa has yet to receive any bids matching their valuation. Fifa president Gianni Infantino held a video conference with TV executives earlier today in an attempt to generate more interest. Fifa declined to comment.
