Barça's plan to cushion the financial blow of not playing in the Club World Cup

The world of football enters an unfamiliar stage this summer. A week after the Nations League , a few days after the South American qualifiers, and without the season having officially ended , the world's best clubs will compete in the first-ever Club World Cup . A tournament that has altered the transfer market , the hiring of coaches, and the football calendar .

Also, the top-tier clubs are targeting the lucrative financial rewards of participating in the tournament and the prestige derived from being the first world champion in history. The concept of "preseason" has been completely diluted . For example, Xabi Alonso landed at Real Madrid, and the signings of Dean Huijsen and Alexander-Arnold were finalized before the start of the group stage to bolster Real Madrid's weak defensive structure.

Real Madrid views the FIFA Club World Cup as a strategic tournament for its international expansion and hopes to earn up to 145 million euros compared to Atlético de Madrid's 130 million . However, not all of Europe's top clubs participate in the Club World Cup. In fact, the three champions from Spain (Barça) , England (Liverpool), and Italy (Naples) will not be participating in the FIFA competition.

The economic disadvantage with its rivals

This will mean a financial disadvantage compared to their direct rivals, which will need to be mitigated somehow. In the case of FC Barcelona, ​​the Blaugrana club will travel to Asia to carry out its preseason in Japan and South Korea, where it will receive between 15 and 25 million euros. That figure could increase with a friendly in Casablanca (Morocco), as reported by Mundo Deportivo.

In any case, the money Barça could earn this summer during their preseason will be far from the figures Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid , and the rest of the European giants could achieve. However, the possibility of inviting Barça to the Club World Cup was on the table, although it ultimately fell through.

According to Diari Ara , "President Joan Laporta, in a meeting with a close circle, explained that FIFA was willing to give a place - the one that had become vacant after the expulsion of Mexican side León - to the Barça team if they won the Champions League."

The only positive thing about not going to the World Cup

The financial blow of missing out on the Club World Cup due to Barça's poor performance in the Champions League is significant. However, Barça's absence from the tournament will allow the Barça players more rest than their rivals , conduct a more detailed preseason, and focus their efforts on getting their players in top physical shape rather than prioritizing a scavenger hunt of matches across different cities in record time, as happened in the United States.

Last season, Hansi Flick was without half his squad . Marc-André ter Stegen, Cubarsí, Andreas Christensen, Jules Koundé, Fermín López, Ilkay Gündogan, Pedri, Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, and Robert Lewandowski, who were called up by their national teams for the European Championship, and Ronald Araújo and Raphinha , who were called up for the Copa América, all missed the start of preseason. This year, Barça will start at 100% capacity with all its players. Nobody knows how the Club World Cup will affect the participants physically or what impact it will have on the regular season.