Porto president Andre Villas-Boas has warned Chelsea and Manchester City that the prize money for the FIFA Club World Cup is ‘well below initial expectations’.
Chelsea, who qualified for the tournament by winning the Champions League in 2021, have been drawn in Group D against Club Leon, Flamengo and Esperance Tunis.
City, meanwhile, are in Group G alongside Juventus, Moroccan club Wydad AC and Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates.
FIFA has already warned clubs that they must field their strongest starting line-ups for the tournament, despite complaints from players and managers in recent months about the busy football calendar and the higher risk of injuries.
But former Chelsea manager Villas-Boas, who is now Porto’s president, has also revealed that negotiations remain ongoing over the prize money for clubs entering the competition.
‘The European Club Association is still in discussions with FIFA to better allocate the amount to the European clubs, so it is estimated that the share will be between €16 million and €20m (£13.2m and £16.5m), and then it will obviously increase depending on the club’s performance,’ Villas-Boas said at an event on Friday.
‘Well below initial expectations, which is always important for FC Porto, particularly as we missed out on the Champions League this year, which is an important amount in any case but I can also say from the bottom of my heart that we are very pleased to be in this competition.
‘Porto has twice won the other competition, the Continental Cup, so to speak, and this is the first time in this format, so we are very pleased and very proud to be present and we want to honour the club’s credentials in this competition.’
Porto are in Group A alongside Brazilian side Palmeiras, Egyptian champions Al Ahly, and Inter Miami, who kick off the tournament in the opening game on June 15, 2025.
‘Palmeiras ended up being one of the first clubs to start exchanging pennants or gifts, let’s say, with Porto, without knowing the result of the draw, already during the month of August,’ Villas-Boas said.
‘So they made a point of sending us a commemorative Club World Cup shirt in celebration of this upcoming event, without us even knowing that we would be playing against each other. It is also curious, of course, because of the presence of a Portuguese coach, who if he remains in charge, will bring more Portuguese pride to the game.
‘They are a difficult team, Egyptian teams are always competitive, intense and always with a dedication and intensity in the game that is difficult to control.
‘And then of course there is Inter Miami with all its stars, with everything that a North American team surrounded by star players, like Messi and all the others, means at the moment.’
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