Club World Cup's importance is clear as Man City and Chelsea chase £97m jackpot

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Pep Guardiola joked he will be taking his golf clubs to the Club World Cup. But no-one should be fooled about the importance of FIFA's new-look competition in the United States this summer.

Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and the rest have their eyes on a £97m jackpot for the winners as part of the overall £775m prize money. And it is not just the cash on offer which is motivating the clubs even though it is a major factor.

The likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe will be among the star-studded cast list but it will also be huge show bigger than just a dress rehearsal 12 months before the US jointly hosts the next World Cup.

And if you are in any doubt about the clubs wanting to win the Club World Cup then you only need to look at the "mini transfer window" ahead of the tournament. City boss Guardiola went on another spending spree to make sure they are competitive as they have spent over £100m on new signings for the tournament.

Big-spending City have brought in AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders for £46.5m, plus there signed Rayan Ait-Nouri, Marcus Bettinelli and Rayan Cherki in another massive purge. Perhaps just as significantly, Real Madrid spent around £10m just to have Trent Alexander-Arnold available for the Club World Cup.

Alexander-Arnold had already agreed to join Real Madrid on a free transfer this summer but the Spanish giants paid out to be able to register the England right back before his contract was due to expire at the end of June.

The controversy surrounding the workload, the lack of a proper summer holiday and also too many games is impossible to ignore. As have been reports of slow ticket sales for the major games.

Plus FIFA took some time to find a TV deal and, back in the United Kingdom, it is being shown on DAZN who have struck an agreement with Channel 5 to also share coverage. Chelsea and City provide Premier League interest and four of their combined six Group matches kick off in the afternoon or evening UK time.

It means Chelsea's first game in Atlanta next Tuesday could be scorching hot in the stadium - but a good watch for viewers back home. That will be key for the tournament to catch light and capture the imagination of the football-loving masses in Europe.

And when it comes to kick off, Chelsea won the previous incarnation of this tournament in Abu Dhabi in 2022. City lifted in December 2023. It feels like FIFA have engineered the qualification process for the Club World Cup to get their pick of 32 teams but it will throw up big matches, good clashes and huge interest.

Why on earth they had to put in an extra round - the last 16 - ahead of the quarter finals is anyone's guess. But it does mean it will last a month, finally finishing in the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, on July 13.

That will put extra strain on the players. But big players and big managers are winners by nature and that means that they will give everything this summer. They will end up with a hangover for next season rather than go easy this summer. That is the reality.

Players want to play - and then complain afterwards. And rightly so. We will also get a glimpse of the set-up in the United States. England boss Thomas Tuchel is spending time there to look at base camps, training facilities and also getting his head around how it will all work.

The whole thing is designed to deliver stardust. It will be a dress rehearsal for next summer. And it promises to be spectacular.

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The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world's best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.

Fans can watch every match live and for free by signing up to DAZN.

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