- Manchester City and Chelsea will take part in the expanded tournament
- ITV looked to secure broadcast rights before DAZN agreed their package
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ITV reportedly made a cheeky £0 bid to broadcast the Club World Cup this summer – before DAZN secured a staggering £800m package in a boost for FIFA.
The terrestrial TV giant looked to convince the governing body to give them the rights free of charge if it agreed to screen games during the new-look, expanded tournament on their main channels, according to The Telegraph.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s radical plan was met with fierce criticism but the 32-team competition will go ahead as planned in the United States during the off-season.
The rights were snapped up by DAZN in a deal worth $1billion (£800m) in December despite the platform being partly propped up by funding from Saudi Arabia.
Indeed, a minority stake was sold to SURJ Sports Investment, a company operating as part of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, last month.
DAZN have vowed to livestream all 63 Club World Cup matches for free but would prefer UK-based viewers to log onto their platform instead of sublicensing the rights.
FIFA’s controversial new-look Club World Cup will go ahead in the United States this summer
Terrestrial giants ITV made a cheeky £0 bid for the broadcasting rights, according to reports
Both Manchester City and Chelsea are taking part in the expanded competition
But ITV initially entered the race, believing their offer to invest in production costs and screen games to a wider audience may have been enough to tempt FIFA.
The network are not thought to have committed any funds toward the proposal.
An ITV spokesperson said, via The Telegraph: ‘We would never comment on speculative contractual matters.’
The controversial tournament will run from mid-June until July 13 and games will be played across the US, including in Charlotte, Cincinnati and Los Angeles.
As revealed by Mail Sport, Manchester City and Chelsea, the Premier League’s two participants, are in line to net summer windfalls of up to £60m.
That figure may well prove the envy of the rest of the top-flight, especially with many clubs being poised to jet off on their own summer tours overseas where they will be fortunate to make even 10 per cent of the £60m figure.
The cash injection will also impact heavily on the Premier League’s financial rules.
Mail Sport also understands that there will also be a form of solidarity fund which will see money paid to the associations from the countries of the 32 clubs who are participating. The FA will be one of those to benefit.
DAZN secured the global rights in a deal worth $1billion (£800m) in December
FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s radical plan was met with fierce criticism
Original ticket prices for matches had proven to be hugely controversial among supporters
Meanwhile, ticket prices for the Club World Cup have been drastically slashed.
It is understood that the cost of the cheapest seats for last-16 matches and beyond have dropped by as much as $385 (£310) after the introduction of a new ‘value tier’.
The lowest-priced tickets available for the semi-final for those who declare they support a participating club were priced at $526 (£423) but are now available for $140 (£113). The cheapest final tickets have also been reuduced by almost £500.
FIFA insist the move is not a price drop but instead the creation of a new category aimed at rewarding the loyalty of supporters who will travel to the US.
