FIFA Talks with Apple to Broadcast 'Club World Cup 2025' Stalled [Report]

FIFA's talks with Apple to broadcast a new monthlong tournament in the United States next summer have stalled, according to a Bloomberg report. The Club World Cup tournament will see 32 clubs from across the globe compete in preparation for the 2026 World Cup.

FIFA was in talks with Apple Inc. for worldwide television rights earlier this year, which would help pay fees to participating teams, the people said. However the discussions have stalled, with FIFA now considering selling the rights to the tournament to regional broadcasters, the people added, asking not to be named discussing private information.

Previous reports have suggested the Apple deal could have been worth around $1 billion, a quarter of the value FIFA was initially targeting. Since then, FIFA has purportedly contacted teams to see if they would play for a lower fee than originally anticipated.


Commenting on the news, a FIFA representative said there were 'many' parties interested in media and commercial partnerships.

"FIFA is fully confident and convinced of the commercial and sporting success of the new competition," the spokesperson said in a statement. "FIFA is in regular and productive dialogue with the key counterparties involved including prospective venues, media and commercial partners, and of course the clubs themselves."

So far 29 of the 32 places in the tournament have been filled. There will be twelve teams from Europe, six from South America, four from Africa, four from Asia, as well as teams representing other regions.

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