Editor’s note: This is an updated version of an article that first appeared on The Athletic in May 2025.
For an insight into the one-upmanship between FIFA, the world football governing body, and UEFA, its European counterpart, let us begin with an anecdote about the prize money for last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup.
A pet project of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, he described the newly expanded 32-team tournament, held in the United States, as the “most coveted” trophy in club football.
According to multiple people briefed on FIFA’s planning for the…