Manchester City in line for timely £41m boost as rebuild looms

Manchester City could be in line for a significant windfall next summer due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, after the competition was handed a major boost.

World football’s governing body is hoping that the revamped and expanded competition next summer, which will be held in the United States from June 15 to July 13, with 32 teams from across the UEFA, CAF, CONCACAF, AFC, CONMEBOL and OFC regions, will be a success.

Given that the expanded format had essentially created a new competition, one where it isn’t known just how high the interest will be in it, there were serious question marks that existed around just how much FIFA could expect to rake in from broadcasters.

For the competing 32 clubs, where City and Chelsea will be flying the flag for the Premier League, how much FIFA could raise from the rights auction was important as it has a direct impact on how much the clubs can earn from taking part in the competition.

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Earlier this year, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti had expressed his own concerns, even going so far as to say the club wouldn’t be taking part as it didn’t make financial sense because more money could be achieved by going on a pre-season tour and hosting exhibition games on their own back.

That created a concern for FIFA in that clubs could end up sending ‘reserve’ squads to compete, diluting the appeal of the competition, choosing instead to send their true first-team stars where the money was, in the markets where they have significant commercial partners that they need to keep