Regardless of what most people think about the necessity (or lack thereof) of adding an expended 32-team Club World Cup every four years into the already jampacked football calendar, FIFA have decided to bring it into existence starting in 2025. In this piece, we will look into the pros and cons of the competition from the standpoint of Bayern Munich, and we will look ahead to what awaits the Bavarians next summer in the United States.
The tournament in 2025 will certainly offer something unprecedented. It will give the best teams from each of FIFA’s six confederations a unique opportunity to compete against each other. But for Bayern Munich, the only positive aspect of the competition is financial in nature. By that, we certainly do not mean the prize money but rather the opportunity to promote the Bayern brand in the lucrative American market.
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Bayern have for years now seen the advantage of promoting the club in the States, as they have an office in New York City. The American market is very much dominated by the English football giants, although there certainly are many Bayern fans there as well, with a number of vibrant fan clubs.
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Bayern’s board have looked to capitalise on that before the COVID-19 pandemic by organising several pre-season camps in the US. Doing well at the 2025 Club World Cup could help the club gain more support in America and thus open doors for them in one of the most lucrative sports markets on the planet.
There are also plenty of disadvantages to having to play the FIFA Club World Cup of course.
Bayern Munich and indeed most other big clubs have so many games, that their players lack recovery time, not to mention free time. Players need an offseason to rest and also for health-related reasons. Injuries are a bigger and bigger problem with more and more matches.
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The Bavarians in particular have struggled with injury problems for the last season and a half now, which justifies fears that an added tournament at an inopportune time like the summer could make things much worse.
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Another problem with the Club World Cup is that it takes place in between seasons. Several players‘ contracts are expiring at the end of June and there is still no plan in place as to how to deal with that.
The draw for the 2025 edition of the tournament was made last week in Miami, Florida. The Bavarians were drawn into Group C, with Auckland City, Argentine giants Boca Juniors, and Portuguese powerhouse Benfica.
The New Zealand team are Oceania’s lone representative and the weakest side of the competition by far. Bayern fans know Boca from the 2001 Intercontinental Cup, where the Bavarians were victorious after extra-time.
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As for Benfica, the Munich side defeated them 1-0 in the League Phase of this season’s Champions League.
If Bayern make the Round of 16, they will likely face either Brazilian side Flamengo, or Chelsea. In any case, the best thing from a fan’s perspective is to look forward to the tournament. Particularly those in the United States could have an unforgettable experience.
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