The controversial Club World Cup is getting closer.

FIFA selected the annual star-studded Global Citizen Festival in Central Park on Saturday evening to announce the 12 cities and venues that will host the inaugural tournament. President Gianni Infantino, who was apparently not unhappy about being on stage with Hugh Jackman, spoke enthusiastically about the fans who will be replicating the “buzz” of the festival between June 15th and July 13th next year.

FIFA’s update – including the fact that the final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, which will also host the Men’s World Cup final almost exactly a year later – was certainly welcome, given how little is known about the tournament was communicated. This signaled to the world and those who may be investing in the competition that FIFA is still moving forward with the 32-team competition, despite speculation to the contrary.

Coming to the USA in 2025 🇺🇸#TakeItToTheWorld | #FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/ocAOgy87Fl

— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) September 28, 2024

However, important steps still need to be taken in the next 259 days.

There is still no media rights partner for the tournament, sponsorship deals are still pending and therefore the monetary value for the participating clubs remains a big question mark.

Infantino last week even went so far as to call an emergency meeting with broadcasters in the hope of convincing them of the merits of the tournament, as pressure mounts behind the scenes on FIFA to abandon its hopes of securing billions in TV revenue to finance the event to make prize money a reality for competing clubs. The FIFA boss promised global broadcasters in the video conference that the venues would be announced before the end of the month, a promise he successfully kept.

It appears that FIFA is, in some ways, using the success of its Men’s World Cup to drum up interest in the Club World Cup. On Saturday, FIFA also announced that it has partnered with Global Citizen for the first-ever World Cup halftime show in 2026 – a foreign concept in global soccer but a beloved tradition in American soccer.

Gianni Infantino (left), Hugh Jackman and Gayle King at the Global Citizen Festival in New York (Noam Galai/Getty Images for Global Citizen)

Next year’s Club World Cup is also important for FIFA to correct the US market after last summer’s Copa America, especially in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup. Although the South American tournament is hosted by CONMEBOL, many critics doubt this USA was ready for a World Cup after security failures and less-than-stellar crowds, even for U.S. men’s national team games. While a World Cup is likely to be a sell-out based solely on the fact that it is the most popular sporting event in the world, a Club World Cup, like the South American tournament, will be a much harder sell to American fans.

The Club World Cup has already faced serious opposition, particularly when it comes to player welfare. There are growing concerns that players could go on strike over the number of games they are asked to play, as the Club World Cup adds to an already crowded global fixture calendar and comes in the middle of a summer transfer window.

Some have pointed to Spanish footballer Rodri’s season-ending injury as a heartbreaking example of what can happen when this congestion is not taken seriously. The Manchester City midfielder, who was the first to say players were on the verge of a strike, suffered the injury just a week after raising concerns about the workload. It’s worth noting that City have an 11-month season ahead of them if they want to reach the Club World Cup final.

Javier Tebas, the head of Spain’s La Liga, said at a recent press conference that he would welcome a strike if it took the Club World Cup off the agenda, but the controversy is brewing in more than just public opinion. Three of Europe’s biggest players’ unions recently filed a lawsuit against FIFA over the crowded calendar, calling the new tournament a “watershed moment.”

The English Professional Football Association (PFA), the Italian Players’ Union (AIC) and their French counterparts (UNFP) say players’ rights are being violated by EU laws after FIFA extended the Club World Cup until the end of 2024. 25 season. FIFPro, the global football union, is supporting the case with the ultimate aim of challenging the legality of FIFA’s ability to “unilaterally” set the international match calendar.

Despite the setback, FIFA appears determined to move forward with the men’s Club World Cup, even if the women’s event remains shrouded in mystery. No details were announced about this competition, which FIFA had initially said would take place in January 2026 and involve 16 teams. Even the host country is still unknown at this point.

The men’s competition was widely expected to be a predominantly East Coast affair, with at least one game scheduled for Seattle, as Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders are in the competition. With the CONCACAF Gold Cup taking place simultaneously in the United States, FIFA and CONCACAF had previously agreed to host games on opposite sides of the country to avoid overlap.

Scheduled to take place every four years, the Club World Cup is considered by some to be Infantino’s most prized possession. It will serve as preparation for the expanded Men’s World Cup in the United States, which will take place the following summer. Five 2026 World Cup venues, including MetLife, are also set to host Club World Cup matches next year.

While the world now awaits sponsorship and media rights deals for the men’s Club World Cup, as well as any information about the women’s event, the next expected update will be in December when the tournament’s draw will take place.

Future details of the draw would be announced “in due course,” FIFA said on Saturday – but the clock is ticking.

(Top photo: Adam Hunger – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)