FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the Club World Cup is set to mark a new era for football as the competition kicks off on Sunday in the United States of America.
The competition will feature clubs from all continents, as Inter Miami takes on Egyptian club Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium in the opening match on Sunday.
It is the first under an expanded format with 32 teams, including the winners of the four previous continental championships.
Infantino is excited ahead of the opening match, claiming that the competition will launch football into a new era.
He said: “It starts a new era of football, a new era of club football. A little bit like when, in 1930, the first World Cup, right, started.
“Everyone today speaks about the very first World Cup. That’s why this World Cup here is historic.
“We want to be inclusive. We want to give opportunities to clubs from all over the world.
“It’s really to globalise football, to make it truly, truly global. Because when you scratch the surface, we say it’s the No 1 sport in the world, and it is but then the elite is very concentrated in very few clubs, in very few countries.”
Infantino said the experience of playing in the competition will be worthwhile for clubs who have never appeared in it.
He said: “Countries who would never have a chance to play in a World Cup are suddenly part of a World Cup and they feel to be part of it, the fans of these players and of these clubs.
“A very good friend of mine is George Weah…former legend, great player, Ballon d’Or winner, only African player who ever won the Ballon d’Or, by the way. He never played in a World Cup. He would have been playing in a Club World Cup and made not only his club but also his country proud.”
The 32 teams have been divided into eight groups of four teams with the top two teams in each group qualifying to the knockout stage.
The format will be the same that was adopted in the FIFA World Cup between 1998, and 2022, with the exception of a third-place play-off.
The winner of the tournament will be awarded up to US$125 million, marking a significant increase in financial rewards compared to previous editions.
