Premier League giants Manchester City were one of the favourites to win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
They had plenty of match-winners, one of the sharpest coaches in the business, and some fresh signings to help leave last season’s woes behind. Yet, they fell short.
Saudi Pro League giants Al Hilal knocked them out of the competition in the Round of 16, costing them millions in prize money.
FIFA Club World Cup Prize Money Breakdown
The revamped FIFA Club World Cup has a massive prize pool, with the winning team standing a chance to win close to £100 million. Before the tournament commenced, FIFA clarified that the prize money would be split into two sections. The bigger chunk is for the participation fee, while the other one is for tournament performance.
FIFA has not disclosed how much UEFA clubs would get for participating, as it is variable based on “sporting and commercial criteria.” The 12 European clubs will make between £28.31 million and £9.5 million for making it to the Club World Cup.
Who’s gonna win the FIFA Club World Cup? 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ktO4N1XEsO
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 2, 2025
The sporting performance portion is fixed at £367.1 million. Teams got £1.54 million for a win and £772,000 for a draw in the group stage. Losing, of course, did not make them any money.
Teams qualifying for the Round of 16 got £5.79 million, whereas quarter-finalists and semi-finalists are set to receive £10.14 million and £16.22 million, respectively. The losing team in the final will take home £23.18 million while the winner will bag £30.91 million.
If a team manage to win all of their Club World Cup matches, they will pocket £67.68 million in performance incentives.
How Much Did Man City Make Before Club World Cup Exit Against Al Hilal?
Man City enjoyed a bright start to the Club World Cup. They beat Wydad Casablanca 2-0 in their opener. Got a 6-0 win over Al-Ain on Matchday 2. And finally, bagged a 5-2 win over Juventus to close the group.
Having won all three group-stage matches, Man City pocketed £4.62 million in prize money. Their Round of 16 qualification took their total to £10.41 million.
Ederson faced 6 shots from Al-Hilal and conceded 4.
Bono faced 14 shots from Man City and conceded 3.
Let that sink in. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/qv8cS8Npmk
— The Touchline | Football Coverage (@TouchlineX) July 1, 2025
While it is easy to calculate performance incentives, the participation fee is trickier. Assuming Man City took home the biggest chunk of the participation bonus, they would have made £38.71 million before crashing out of the tournament.
Man City’s Defeat to Al Hilal Cost Them Nearly £60 Million
In the Round of 16, Man City were the only team with a perfect group-stage record. Had they not lost 4-3 to Al Hilal, they would have added £10.14 million to their kitty. Winning the quarter-finals against Fluminense would have earned them another £16.22 million. Qualifying for the final would have guaranteed a £23.18 million payout, whereas a win would have seen them make £30.91 million.
AL-HILAL KNOCK MAN CITY OUT OF THE CLUB WORLD CUP 😱 pic.twitter.com/qdZZ7fmstk
— B/R Football (@brfootball) July 1, 2025
Adding it all up, Man City left a whopping £57.27 million on the table at the Club World Cup.
According to The Athletic, Man City were hoping to reach the quarter-finals at the very least. So, the defeat to Al Hilal not only subjected them to brutal mockery, but it also caused them to fall £10.14 million shy of their target.
