The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup may have been a spectacle on the pitch, but off it, the tournament has sparked a mix of admiration and disbelief. For starters, the attendance turned out to be the main concern in the initial games, barely capturing the interest of fans, even on the networks. Then again, the financial outcome told a rather different story, with not only participating teams walking away with millions but the tournament itself raking in a staggering $2 billion (With $1 billion being the prize pool), generating around $31 million per game. As if these numbers weren’t enough, FIFA President Gianni Infantino seems determined to aim for figures that few could have imagined.

Well, to break the ice, how does a whopping $230 billion profit sound? Quite astonishing, especially considering many still question the validity of the $2 billion profit from the inaugural event. To put things in perspective, the tournament struggled to fill stadiums in several games, with some matches drawing crowds smaller than the current NWSL average of 11,000 fans per game.

Yet, here is Infantino, making bold claims about the revamped quadrennial domestic tournament like never before. Speaking to the BBC, he said, “When the Champions League was created, the first revenue was €40 million. Now it is €4 billion. If the first Club World Cup generated €2 billion, in 30 years we should generate €200 billion.”

No, Infantino didn’t mistakenly add a zero; he said what he said. And to even back his claim, he cited the significant growth that the UEFA Champions League has undergone over the decades since its inception. Well, credit also goes to the prestige of this European tournament, as some of the best clubs across the continent compete with each other on the biggest stage.

As far as the FIFA Club World Cup is concerned, well, technically, it has just made its entry in the beautiful game, at least as a revamped version. Whether in the future, that too, after three decades, this global tournament would be able to make such a profit is something that remains not only questionable in the eyes of fans, but also leaves them utter frustration and sheer disbelief.

Gianni Infantino gets a reality check over his billion-dollar Club World Cup dream!

The moment the president of the apex soccer authority made the internet, it was quick enough to send shockwaves through the soccer world, leaving fans incredulous and outspoken. One critic remarked, “Infantino talks like he’s pitching to investors, not football fans,” while another bluntly added, “Corruption intensifies. Sold his soul to the highest bidder.” For a moment, even if one considers his proposal of seeing the Club World Cup actually generate a 12-digit figure, won’t it be kind of obvious to expect it, well, typically because of the inflation?

Then again, this fan has his doubts and simply believes that the math isn’t mathing at all: “Yeah, that’s just like, not how math works 😂 Can’t just assume profits will increase 100x. I also highly doubt the CWC generated €2 billion. This would imply the tournament made double what the prize money was, and we saw all those half-empty stadiums early on.”

We never imagined it would come to this, but it looks like all these apex soccer authorities care about is just minting money. But this is exactly what fans are warning Gianni Infantino and Co. about, making comments like “Don’t spoil the game,” and “Stop being greedy.” In fact, this makes us wonder where it went wrong for soccer, as today it seems to be driven only by financial motives. Sadly, this fan believes it is too late to turn things around: “There was a time in the beautiful game when money 💰 wasn’t the priority. That ship has sailed.”

Of course, how can we rule out the fact that while Infantino and Co. aim for such a big number for their Club World Cup, it will somehow affect the fans as well? And there’s little argument around the fact that even big clubs are keen to mint as much money as possible. Fun fact: PSG pocketing $106.9 million as the runner-up of the CWC by playing just seven games is nothing in contrast to them earning $155 million from 18 UEFA Champions League games. So we hope you get the gist.

And what better way to make clubs even richer than affecting the ticket prices? As we all know, ticket prices have been quite an issue in the sport, with ardent supporters being forced to buy them at higher prices. So the day isn’t far away when it will only be the rich attending the games, making it inaccessible for those who can’t afford it. No wonder the frustration is at its peak: “Disgusting. This is all they care about.”

Get this: earlier this week, FIFA released the tickets for the upcoming 2026 World Cup that is set to be hosted in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. And sadly, the prices are so much that the secondary market is literally offering them at a whopping $38,000, let alone the official cost stated by FIFA, ranging from $355 to $6,370. So it’s no surprise to see this fan decide not to buy the tickets for the prestigious tournament?: “Get rid of this money-hungry piece of garbage. He has priced out fans out of the World Cup next year. Got an email but not going when I don’t even know who’s playing.”

A valid concern indeed, which even saw Gianni Infantino earn perhaps the last comment that he was hoping for: “Worst FIFA president.” Granted. The work he has done isn’t something one can ignore. Take, for instance, the Club World Cup, which, despite a lot of skepticism, did what it could. But this netizen just had to fire shots with a hysterical claim on how exactly FIFA achieved the $2 billion mark: “Got to give them credit. Likely made that kind of profit by charging for parking.”

Be that as it may, this is just a glimpse of what you saw as many others came to express their anger towards Gianni Infantino’s whopping claim. Regardless, we would like to know your thoughts in the comments below.