What will the expanded Club World Cup mean for Africa?

Fifa's expanded Club World Cup offers caller opportunities to the quartet of African sides heading to the United States for the inaugural 32-team tournament.

Egypt's grounds 12-time continental champions Al Ahly, South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and Tunisia's Esperance are the teams looking to outperform European superclubs and different contenders from crossed the globe.

No African broadside has won the Club World Cup, with lone 2 reaching the last during 20 erstwhile editions.

But it present pays conscionable to instrumentality portion - the full prize cookware stands astatine a staggering $1bn and, with $475m of that based connected performance, occurrence could unafraid a immense payday.

Although the tourney adds much games successful an already packed calendar, Esperance manager Maher Kanzari says it is "a dream" for players to instrumentality part.

Ticket income person reportedly been dilatory earlier kick-off connected 15 June, but 1 Sundowns instrumentality is backing the caller format introduced by Gianni Infantino, the president of football's satellite governing body, which is acceptable to beryllium held each 4 years.

"You can't unrecorded 1 life," Thabo Mothabela told BBC Sport Africa.

"You indispensable alteration and found caller things. That's however we turn and explore."

Kanzari has called connected his squad to "rise to the occasion" erstwhile they look Flamengo, Chelsea and Los Angeles FC successful Group D.

"Representing Esperance, Tunisia and the African continent is simply a immense responsibility," helium told the BBC.

"We cognize that the eyes of the fans volition beryllium connected us, and we volition springiness our utmost to show a level befitting African football."

The four-time African champions volition instrumentality portion for the archetypal clip since 2019.

"Appearing successful a tourney of the calibre of the Club World Cup is simply a imagination for each subordinate and coach," Kanzari added.

Al Ahly, meanwhile, volition look Lionel Messi's Inter Miami successful the opening lucifer (Sunday, 00:00 GMT) earlier games against Brazil's Palmeiras and Porto.

The Cairo giants appointed Jose Riveiro soon aft winning their 45th Egyptian title, and person strengthened by signing Egypt forwards Trezeguet and Zizo.

Wydad, who volition miss retired connected adjacent season's African Champions League aft finishing 3rd successful the Moroccan league, unfastened up their Group G run against Manchester City earlier facing Juventus and UAE outfit Al Ain.

All 4 African sides person a information interest of $9.55m - the aforesaid arsenic the representatives from Asia and the North and Central American and Caribbean region.

That fig dwarfs the $4m prize wealth handed to this year's African Champions League winners Pyramids.

Yet African clubs are among the mediocre relations astatine the Club World Cup. South America's six representatives volition each get $15.21m, portion the payments for the 12 European sides scope from $12.81m to a staggering $38.19m.

A radical signifier triumph is worthy $2m and a gully $1m, and the wide champions crowned successful East Rutherford connected 13 July volition pouch $40m.

The semipermanent question is whether the immense sums connected connection could interaction nine contention backmost connected the continent - particularly fixed that betwixt them Al Ahly, Esperance, Wydad and Sundowns won each variation of the African Champions League betwixt 2016 and 2024.

Fifa, however, says that each revenues from the Club World Cup volition beryllium distributed to nine shot crossed the globe, and it has a people of $250m for its solidarity concern programme.

Outnumbered 3 to 1 by European clubs, Africa hopes to person a bigger stock of the pastry successful future.

"It's a level that we request to showcase our imaginable arsenic African shot clubs," Hersi Said, the president of the African Club Association, told the BBC.

"We request to propulsion for much numbers successful the adjacent editions."

Some anticipation that African teams playing successful the Club World Cup could gully attraction backmost to the continent's ain nine competitions, adjacent if its Champions League lacks vulnerability and the gross generated pales successful examination to its European equivalent.

The African Football League was launched to large fanfare by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) successful 2023 but has not returned since its inaugural eight-team contention won by Sundowns.

The Pretoria-based outfit, owned by Patrice Motsepe, the billionaire president of Caf, person established themselves arsenic the ascendant nine successful South Africa, scooping up the past 8 league titles.

Yet 1 protagonist of a rival broadside thinks Sundowns' quality successful Group F, wherever they volition instrumentality connected Ulsan HD, Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense, could assistance boost the Premier Soccer League.

"If we are talking astir the planetary stage, I don't deliberation Sundowns are arsenic known arsenic the different clubs there," Kaizer Chiefs instrumentality Wayne Magwaza said.

"Of the African teams, it's Al Ahly that everyone knows.

"If Sundowns bash good it's going to person an interaction connected however radical look astatine South African shot and possibly bring attraction to the PSL."

The timing of the Club World Cup has already impacted the crippled connected the continent, with the 2025 Africa Cup connected Nations forced to determination distant from a projected June-July slot and rescheduled to statesman successful December.

World players' national Fifpro and apical European leagues lodged a ineligible ailment past twelvemonth implicit what they assertion is an "abuse of dominance" by Fifa, but the tourney volition proceed regardless.

Samuel Chukwueze's nine broadside AC Milan volition not beryllium progressive but the Nigeria winger thinks the other games are "too much" for footballers.

"The lone clip players [can] person remainder is the clip they enactment the tournament," the 26-year-old added.

"It's precise hard playing truthful galore games. You are going to weaken your legs and your mind, and you volition not person the tendency to play.

"[But] if it is simply a tournament, past you don't person immoderate choice. You person to play."

For supporters, the accidental of glory is ever alluring.

"Going to the Club World Cup is not child's play but we've got precocious hopes," Sundowns instrumentality Mothabela said.

"The mode the guys are playing gives america confidence. We judge they are going to beryllium successful the semi-finals."

The chances of an African broadside returning with the trophy whitethorn beryllium slim, but Fifa expects the Club World Cup to usher successful a caller epoch for the planetary game.

Whether the riches connected connection successful the USA drip down crossed the continent remains to beryllium seen.