FIFA faces Club World Cup 2029 crisis as £185m club payments remain unpaid

FIFA is facing an unprecedented financial and political crisis after failing to pay £185m owed to clubs, putting the future of the 2029 Club World Cup at risk and prompting direct calls for president Gianni Infantino to be removed.

The disputed money was promised as “solidarity payments” to clubs that did not take part in the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States. According to the British newspaper the Express, the 32 teams involved in the tournament have received their own payments, but none of the £185m set aside for non-participating clubs has been distributed.

FIFA had pledged to give £50,000 to every top-flight club around the world, allowing football’s wider club network to benefit from the tournament’s income. The competition generated £740m in broadcast rights revenue through the DAZN platform.

However, months after the 2025 tournament ended, the promised payments remain outstanding. The situation has triggered widespread anger across the global game and raised questions over FIFA’s financial credibility.

The dispute could now threaten the existence of the next edition of the expanded tournament. Two major issues are at the centre of the uncertainty: the breakdown in trust between FIFA and clubs, and the absence of an agreed host nation.

The failure to settle the “solidarity payments” has damaged FIFA’s standing with clubs and made it extremely difficult to secure agreements with leading European sides for the 2029 competition.

There is also no host country for the tournament. No agreement has been reached and serious negotiations have yet to begin. Brazil, Germany, England and Australia have all indicated an interest in staging the event, but the process is currently completely stalled.

The most widely discussed possibility behind the scenes is that the 2029 Club World Cup could be postponed or cancelled if FIFA cannot settle its debts and restore confidence among clubs. Such an outcome would threaten a project Infantino has described since 2016 as “his personal project”.

The accumulated problems have put further pressure on Infantino, the Swiss-Italian president of FIFA. He has already faced criticism over his plan to sell stakes in FIFA competitions to investors, after failing to anticipate the reaction to the proposal.

The handling of the Club World Cup has now added a major financial controversy to those political difficulties. UEFA has openly called for Infantino to be dismissed, marking the first time such a demand has been made since he became FIFA president.

Even if Infantino survives a vote on his position this time, the crisis has weakened his authority. His ability to secure approval for major decisions, including further expansion of competitions, is now considered almost non-existent.

The dispute over the unpaid money therefore extends beyond a single outstanding bill. It has raised doubts over whether FIFA can deliver the next Club World Cup, whether participating clubs will continue to trust the governing body and whether Infantino can retain enough political support to lead the organisation.