Europe's top-flight clubs to receive £185m share of Club World Cup solidarity fund

Europe's top-division clubs are set to receive half of the $250m (£185m) solidarity fund linked to the 2025 Club World Cup. FIFA and the European Football Clubs association (EFC) have negotiated a 50-50 split between Europe and the rest of the world, bringing an end to a dispute that had sparked widespread frustration among teams left out of the tournament.

• Europe and the rest of the world will each take $125m from the solidarity pot.
• The EFC had wanted more than 60% but compromised after FIFA pushed for a more equal global distribution.
• Part of the European money will go to all top-flight clubs that did not play in the Club World Cup, based on seasons played between 2021 and 2024.
• A further amount is reserved for clubs with the best Uefa competition record in that period, provided they also missed the US tournament.
• The deal needs ratification at the FIFA Council meeting scheduled for 15 October in Zurich.

How the £185m Club World Cup solidarity fund will be divided

The $250m fund will be split straight down the middle. Europe is due to receive $125m, the same amount allocated to clubs from the rest of the world. The EFC had originally sought a share of just over 60%, but accepted FIFA's position after the governing body insisted on a more balanced worldwide distribution intended to support football's broader ecosystem.

Within the European allocation, payments will not be uniform. Every top-division club that missed the Club World Cup will receive an amount tied to the number of seasons they competed at that level between 2021 and 2024. A separate portion will reward clubs with the strongest records in Uefa club competitions over the same period, again on the condition that they did not feature in the 2025 event.

Which European clubs will benefit most from the solidarity payments

The distribution model means payments are expected to vary significantly from one club to another. Teams with more top-flight seasons between 2021 and 2024 and stronger European campaigns in that window are in line for higher amounts. Liverpool, Champions League runners-up in 2022, are among the clubs expected to benefit at the top end of the scale since they did not take part in the Club World Cup.

Chelsea, the tournament winners, have already banked their £84m champion's payout from the £740m set aside as prize money for participants.

Why smaller league clubs were pushing for the fund to be released

The drawn-out timeline for distributing the money had become a major source of irritation, particularly for clubs from smaller competitions. For many of them, the solidarity payments represent a welcome financial lifeline, and the prolonged wait tried the patience of institutions that had been expecting the funds for months.

Tensions escalated when the EFC threatened FIFA with a refusal to cooperate on future Club World Cups unless Gianni Infantino withdrew his Fifa Forward Enterprise project. In a letter, the association said the lack of a solution on solidarity payments had been "of serious disappointment to EFC and our member clubs".

When the deal will be signed off and Infantino's role in Copenhagen

The EFC holds its general assembly in Copenhagen on Tuesday, where the agreement is likely to be confirmed. The next step is ratification by the FIFA Council, which is scheduled to meet in Zurich on 15 October. Once that process is complete, the money can be released to the designated clubs.

Infantino is not expected to repeat the appearance he made at last year's EFC general assembly in Rome. A repeat performance looked unlikely given the prospect of a direct encounter with adversaries such as Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin. FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström is among the delegates set to attend in the Danish capital.

Infantino spent Monday trying to strengthen his standing in Europe by travelling to Riga for the opening of new offices at the Latvian Football Association. A joint venture between the EFC and FIFA to manage the commercial side of global club competitions remains possible, but a near-term signing appears unlikely amid the turbulence surrounding world football's leadership.

What the agreement means for club football going forward

The deal closes one of the most contentious chapters between FIFA and Europe's leading clubs, though wider friction remains. The relationship has been strained for months, and the future of further joint commercial projects is far from assured. At the very least, ratification of the distribution will deliver a long-awaited payment to the clubs that sat out the competition.