Apple Didn’t Offer FIFA Enough Money to Host the 2025 Club World Cup
Credit: Fauzan Saari
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As big of a push as Apple has made into the world of Major League Soccer (MLS), its latest big sports play may be dead on the table. A New York Times report in April suggested Apple was poised to host a month-long FIFA tournament next year, but now it seems that talks between the companies have broken down.
According to Bloomberg, FIFA’s ambitions to host a new 2025 Club World Cup have hit several roadblocks. The organization is still trying to overcome some of these, but it appears that Apple’s bid for streaming rights hasn’t helped in any way.
Sources for the earlier NYT report said that Apple offered $1 billion for worldwide television rights to stream the new tourney — an event intended to help promote the 2026 World Cup by bringing 32 clubs from around the world to a similar style as a preview for the larger event.
However, that billion-dollar bid fell far short of the $3-4 billion that FIFA hoped to get for the streaming and broadcast rights. Since this deal was expected to help pay fees to participating teams, that’s creating new problems for FIFA, which has reportedly been asking clubs if they’re willing to play for less money than they initially expected.
Bloomberg’s sources indicate that talks with Apple have now stalled, presumably because the iPhone maker is unwilling to up its bid. FIFA is now considering breaking the rights down into smaller packages to be sold to regional broadcasters rather than looking for a single global host — a move that may also help to appease sponsors who expressed concern about the more limited reach of keeping the tournament behind a paywall.
Apple declined to comment, but a FIFA representative said the association has many other potential suitors and is exploring every opportunity.
FIFA is fully confident and convinced of the commercial and sporting success of the new competition. FIFA is in regular and productive dialogue with the key counterparties involved including prospective venues, media and commercial partners, and of course the clubs themselves.FIFA spokesperson
The new Club World Cup was initially planned to launch in China three years ago but failed to get off the ground due not only to the pandemic but also to a lack of interest in the sport among Chinese residents. The 2025 Club World Cup is set to be held in the United States from June 15 to July 13, and FIFA indicates that it’s already booked 29 of the 32 slots, including some high-profile teams like Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern München, and Paris Saint-Germain.
The lineup is expected to include 12 teams from Europe, six from South America, four from Africa, four from Asia, four from North & Central America and the Caribbean, and one from Oceania (we’re not sure how that adds up to 32, but those are the slots listed in FIFA’s press release).
According to Bloomberg, some player unions and club owners aren’t thrilled at the prospect of an extra tournament, as it risks putting a strain on the players and “overloading” footballers with too many elite matches.
