The Club World Cup is a good deal for African teams

They will be the last Africans to enter the competition. On Wednesday, June 18, Moroccans Wydad Casablanca will face English side Manchester City in Philadelphia in the group stage of the Club World Cup. A seemingly unbalanced encounter against one of the tournament favorites.

The day before, South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns had won 1-0 against Ulsan (South Korea) in a match played in Orlando, in a nearly empty stadium. But while it generates little enthusiasm in the United States, the competition is a boon for the four African teams selected, both sportingly and financially.

Previously, the tournament featured only seven teams, compared to thirty-two today. A redesign was decided in 2022 to generate more commercial profits and allow teams from all continents to participate. The body, which entrusted the organization to the United States, host country of the World Cup for national teams in 2026 along with Canada and Mexico, based the results obtained in the Champions Leagues by continent from 2020 to 2023 to define the selection criteria for the four African teams: Al-Ahly, Mamelodi Sundowns, Wydad Casablanca and Espérance Tunis.

These teams will face some of the best European (Juventus Turin, Manchester City, Chelsea, FC Porto, Borussia Dortmund), Brazilian (Flamengo, Palmeiras Sao Paulo, Fluminense) and Asian teams in the first round. " These matches generally only take place in friendly matches with no stakes ," emphasizes former Algerian international and then coach Rabah Madjer (86 caps).

Several months before kickoff, voices had been raised to protest the overloaded schedule. This criticism was ignored by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. "After such a demanding season, the players are tired," admits Rabah Madjer. "But I have no doubt about their motivation. For those from African teams, the prospect of competing against clubs at the very highest level in the world is a major sporting experience." The Club World Cup will also be closely watched by agents and scouts, a few days after the transfer window opens on June 16, which will run until September ¹ .

While European, South American, and Mexican clubs appear to be of a higher standard, Africans are still capable of competing. "It's comparable to national teams: Europe and Latin America are above the rest, which doesn't mean that Africans aren't capable of beating them," says Nabil Maâloul, former coach of Tunisia and Espérance Tunis . "But they are more likely to beat Asians or Americans. The level is roughly equivalent."

The four African clubs present in the United States have numerous international players in their respective squads. For example, the South African national team is half-made up of players from Mamelodi Sundowns, while in its last two matches played in March by Egypt, seven of the twenty-three Pharaohs were under contract with Al-Ahly. "So these are not footballers who are discovering the top level," notes the Tunisian technician . "But these matches against big European or South American teams will allow us to have a clearer idea of ​​what they can do, without drawing any definitive conclusions."

The draw made in December 2024 was hardly kind to the four teams, even if Rabah Madjer wants to believe "in the presence of at least one of them in the round of 16. In every international competition, there is almost always a slightly unexpected team that comes along to shake up the favorites." An opinion partly shared by Nabil Maâloul, who would rather see "Al-Ahly or Mamelodi taking on this role, because Espérance compromised their chances by losing their first match, in a group that includes Chelsea."

This Club World Cup, whose popular success is limited despite the new pricing policy decided by FIFA to prevent some matches from being played in partially filled stadiums, is finding favor in Africa, particularly among the four clubs involved. These clubs will benefit, regardless of their performance, from a prize pool of €8.3 million. This sum is likely to increase depending on results, since a victory in the group stage brings in €1.74 million and a draw €870,000.

The tournament's appeal to African audiences is real, as Moroccan, Egyptian, and Tunisian fans have traveled in large numbers. "A thousand visas have been issued to our fans living in Morocco, and we must add those living in the United States, Canada, and Europe who will come to support the team," said Youssef Dabbagh, general manager of Wydad Casablanca. Some 6,000 Tunisians, a third of whom arrived directly from Tunis, were present in Philadelphia for the match against the Cariocas of Flamengo. And during the opening match, Al-Ahly fans were also several thousand in the packed stands – 61,000 spectators – of the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.