The contrasts of the Club World Cup: a "revolutionary" television contract, from 3,000 to 70,000 viewers, and audiences far removed from national team football.

The Club World Cup concluded its first major edition on Sunday, as revolutionary as it was criticized. The Super World Cup , never again a mini World Cup , ended somewhat far from the results of the last World Cup in Qatar or the European Championship , confirming that international football continues to generate a global passion for clubs that is impossible to match. However, it did lay the foundations for a tournament that seems here to stay.

" We've generated revenue of over 2 billion euros . 31 million euros per match. There's no other club competition that comes close to that," Gianni Infantino proclaimed at a press breakfast at Trump Tower before the final, praising his idea and once again taking a stand against UEFA, the true and constant war in world football. "People have to accept that football is national, continental, and international, and each has its place on the calendar," he insisted. The message is clear, simple, and direct. This World Cup is FIFA's 'Super League.'

On the sporting front, the tournament has celebrated more than three goals per game and has had disappointments (Atlético and Manchester City) and surprises (Fluminense and Al Hilal). This is typical. And in the stands, it has been a World Cup of contrasts. The average attendance will be close to 45,000 and occupancy will be 60%. There have been some awkward moments in the group stage, such as the 3,412 fans who attended the Mamelodi-Ulsan match in Orlando. Other moments have been filled with football ecstasies with the South American fans, the biggest movers and shakers, and with Real Madrid , the team with the largest following. This has grown in the final phase with matches held in the colossal stadiums of Philadelphia, Atlanta , and especially the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

"Free for everyone"

Since the quarter-finals , and excluding Fluminense-Al Hilal (43,000), the average crowd in stadiums has been 70,800 , with 77,452 for PSG-Madrid and 81,000 for the final, bordering on full capacity, which is almost impossible, but FIFA doesn't care, even though there have been gaps in the stands throughout the tournament. "I prefer 40,000 people in an 80,000 stadium than 30,000 in one of 30,000," explained Infantino, boasting about the 80,000 crowd for PSG-Atlético Madrid at the Rose Bowl: "No club league brings together more than 40,000 for every game, only the Premier League."

At the European Championship in Germany, for example, the tournament average was 51,939 , but the stadiums were also smaller. The final in Berlin between Spain and England drew 65,600 in a stadium with a capacity of 74,000, and the match with the largest crowd was the Netherlands-Turkey quarterfinal (70,091). In Qatar, the average attendance was 53,191 , with the 89,000 in Lusail being a hive of activity in the final matches.

That is to say, the Club World Cup has been below average in overall attendance, but it has fought in its final phase. Television channels are another matter. "They said we wouldn't have a television deal, but finally we got a revolutionary one with DAZN , offering free football to everyone," Infantino declared. In Spain, in addition to DAZN, Telecinco has broadcast the most important match of each day, and the figures, which dominated their time slot, have fallen far short of the international tournaments or the classics between Madrid and Barça.

Real Madrid's matches averaged 3.4 million viewers and a 31% share , while the national team's matches in Germany reached 8.9 million viewers and 63.3% , the last Copa del Rey final reached 8.7 million viewers and 59%, and the Super Cup final reached 6.5 million viewers and 49.8%. All free-to-air. The Whites sell, but not as much as when they face their eternal rival or as the national team does in a major tournament. It makes sense. The Club World Cup, however, has a better audience than the Intercontinental Cup (1.9 million viewers and 22% against Pachuca on free-to-air) and narrowly surpasses Real Madrid's last 'Mundialito', won against Al Hilal in early 2023 (3.3 million viewers and 25%). It also surpassed the Champions League final: 2,957,000 viewers with a 28.3% share for Chelsea - PSG compared to 2,641,000 and 26.3% for PSG - Inter.

On the pitch, there was much debate about the heat and the storms, "but we played like that in '94 too and nothing happened," Hristo Stoichkov and Roberto Baggio exclaimed this weekend. "At the Paris Games, we also played during the day," Infantino defended himself, pointing out that by 2026, five of the 16 stadiums will have roofs.

Of the €1 billion prize money , PSG and Chelsea each take home more than €100 million, and Real Madrid €74 million for their semi-final appearances, a larger pot than the Champions League's prize pool for more matches. "They say we were losing money or that we were keeping something. No. Everything has been distributed. It's now the most valuable club competition in the world," Infantino insisted in another message to Ceferin's UEFA. " The golden era of club football has begun ," he concluded.