Club World Cup: Not so bad after all?! – Toyota Cup finally back

As the Club World Cup reached its climax, Sammy Kuffour held a golden key in his hand. For FC Bayern, it was the crowning moment of a perfect year when, as Champions League winners, they met Boca Juniors in Tokyo in November 2001. The Argentinians had been supported by the association to win the prestigious duel against the Europeans and were relieved of all the responsibilities of everyday league life. Bayern traveled to the other side of the world the day before the match. It was the super match of the year, the winners of the continental competitions facing off in a direct duel. Here Kahn, Fink and Elber. There Juan Román Riquelme. Listen to how that tastes. It was the last years of analogue television, a little trip around the world at lunchtime. Bayern advertised for Opel and Boca for Argentinian beer.

In the end, Bayern won in extra time thanks to Kuffour's goal. "Sammy," Kahn told his defender before kickoff, "we have to make history today." The cup's main sponsor presented him with a golden key to a brand-new Toyota, which Kuffour had sent directly to his mother in Ghana. The match was called the Toyota Cup back then, and the trophy was the World Cup. The competition was last held in 2004; afterward, the six continental winners and one host nation competed for the Club World Cup.

Gianni Infantino also held a golden key in his hand in December 2024 at the draw for the tournament starting this weekend. One could accuse the FIFA president of a sense of tradition, but of course, he was after something else: the grand show. It was the key, he said, "that opens the door to the hearts of the people." FIFA no longer accepts anything less than that—a shame.

When the groups were drawn in December for the Club World Cup planned for the summer, which for the first time will be contested in eight groups with a total of 32 teams, slick profiteers and right-wing populist politicians – some of them in person – mingled with the last vestiges of football romance. In the black and gold splendor of the stage set, the new corporate identity of the world governing body, as if the next Ballon d'Or were being awarded in Miami, Infantino presented the new trophy, allegedly created in collaboration with Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. And as if to prove it, the US president-elect appeared on the video screen, praised Infantino's work, and called the FIFA president "a winner." It was the climax of a two-and-a-half-hour spectacle that seemed even more undignified than Inter Miami's nomination for the very same tournament. A maneuver to ensure Lionel Messi's participation.

And on this evening alone, enough arguments could be found to dampen even the last vestiges of anticipation. Because, of course, the Club World Cup exists to secure additional revenue for FIFA in a year without a World Cup. A tournament that, in the era of the Super League, gives FIFA the security of being the most important governing body, even for the biggest clubs. A tournament that is intended to cement Gianni Infantino's position. Prize money of 85 million euros for the winner, who can thus consolidate his dominance in the national league. An idea that will ensure that the players have to accept even more travel, even more games, and even more injuries after a long season.

Or you can look at it this way: The Club World Cup is basically a fabulous idea, just incredibly sloppily implemented and completely out of date. Because every football fan (at least if Infantino's golden key hasn't already done it) should have their heart swell at the sight of teams like: Palmeiras - Porto - Al Ahly - Inter Miami. Or: Fluminense - Borussia Dortmund - Ulsan HD - Mamelodi Sundowns. It's the mix of big names, even bigger players, foreign playing cultures, and unique fan scenes. And the answer to the question: Which club is the best in the world?

After all, the Club World Cup is the last major tournament with the usual structure, following the modified Champions League and the 2026 World Cup, which will feature 48 teams for the first time. Eight four-team tournaments, from the round of 16 to the final. The host city is the USA. Despite Donald Trump's re-election, it's anything but a state governed by injustice (at least that's what people thought in December). The games will be played in large arenas. All matches will be free to watch. It could be a football festival. A tournament so beautiful, it should have been invented 30 years ago. It had to have been invented. Because football has long since outgrown that idea.

The European teams have long since converted their financial advantage into sporting hegemony. No one seriously believes that a representative from Oceania or Africa could win this tournament. Unless the European clubs sent their B teams. An idea that even Pep Guardiola once publicly toyed with at a Manchester City press conference. Not everyone always seemed convinced that the Club World Cup had to be won at all costs. Especially just days after the Champions League final. But that would ultimately reduce the super-duper competition to absurdity.

And there's little romance in world football in other respects either. Whether it's FC Bayern, Manchester City, or Real Madrid, there's barely a trace of national identity on the pitch. Inter Miami is traveling with FC Barcelona's unofficial veterans team. Even just a few days before the tournament, it's not out of the question that Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia could take advantage of a transfer window and, with some government help, put together a national league team – including Cristiano Ronaldo. A video game version of the former World Cup. The desire to make as much money as possible from football oozes from every pore. It's all crazy, it's all somehow irrelevant.

Will someone make history next summer? Hard to believe, no matter how golden the keys are.