Izuchukwu Okosi
With 63 games on offer, the FIFA Club World Cup promises to be an exciting one month of the best club football in recent history.
Prime Business Africa presents an exclusive preview of the tournament that begins in the USA at 1am Nigerian time on Sunday.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe format?
Four teams of eight groups from A to H will compete in the USA.
The Club World Cup is a round robin event with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stage.
Prize Money
The total prize pot for the Club World Cup is $1b, with the winners earning $125m.
About half of the $1b will be divided between the 32 clubs, with the amount per club based on sporting and commercial criteria.
That means that clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester City, Juventus and PSG will receive a greater percentage than smaller clubs in model FIFA developed with the European Club Association.
A further $475m will be awarded on a performance-based related basis.
Consequently, the team with the most wins over a potential seven matches will earn more.
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Breakdown of cash prizes
Group stage win: $2M
Group stage draw: $1M
Round of 16: $7.5M
Quarterfinals: $13.125M
Semifinals: $21M
Runners up: $30M
Champions:$40M
The Teams
Group A
Al Ahly (Egypt), Inter Miami (USA), Porto (Portugal), Palmeiras (Brazil)
Group B
Atletico Madrid (Spain), Botafogo (Brazil), PSG (France), Seattle Sounders (USA).
Group C
Auckland City (Australia), Bayern Munich (Germany), Benfica (Portugal), Boca Juniors (Argentina).
Group D
Chelsea (England), Flamengo (Brazil), Los Angeles FC (USA), Esperance des Tunis (Tunisia).
Group E
Inter Milan (Italy), Monterrey (Mexico), River Plate (Argentina) , Urawa Red Diamonds (Japan).
Group F
Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Fluminense (Brazil), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) Ulsan (South Korea).
Group G
Al Ain (UAE), Juventus (Italy), Manchester City (England), Wydad FC (Morocco).
Group H
Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), Real Madrid (Spain), Red Bull Salzburg (Austria), Pachuca (Mexico).
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
