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Both Man City and Al Hilal earned huge bonuses. |
On the morning of July 1, the 3-4 loss to Al Hilal in the round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ was certainly a big shock for Manchester City in terms of expertise, but if viewed from a financial perspective, Pep Guardiola and his team probably won't be too sad.
According to the initial financial plan, Man City aimed to advance at least to the quarterfinals of this tournament to collect a large bonus. However, stopping right at the round of 16 still guarantees them a bonus of more than 50 million USD , a huge number after less than two weeks of competition.
This income also helps the club balance the costs of tours, reward players and even comfortably prepare for the new season's holiday. In terms of schedule, the early elimination also gives Guardiola and his students nearly 6 weeks to rest, recover and train before the 2025/26 Premier League kicks off. A sweet "gift" after the previous season was full of instability.
On the other hand, Al Hilal continued to prove why Saudi Arabia is willing to do football in a "dare to spend, dare to dream big" way. Winning against Man City helped Simone Inzaghi and his team not only make Asian football famous but also pocket more than 13.7 million USD in bonuses.
Calculating the total achievements from the group stage until now, Al Hilal earned nearly 35 million USD from the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, a number that is well-deserved for their disciplined performance, sharp counter-attacks and fearless fighting spirit against the City stars.
The Middle Eastern club has the chance to pocket a huge bonus when they prepare to face Fluminense in the quarter-finals on July 5. The Brazilian representative is definitely rated lower than Al Hilal.
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Al Hilal made Asian football famous when they eliminated Man City. |
The money also went to the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns the majority of Al Hilal. PIF invested heavily to help Saudi Arabian clubs buy a series of European stars and now, they continue to reap the rewards as Al Hilal have not lost a single match since the start of the tournament.
Looking more broadly, the shock of Man City's elimination makes this year's Club World Cup really worth watching. After Fluminense sent Inter Milan home, Al Hilal extended the "earthquake" day with a victory over Pep Guardiola. This is a great stimulant to get audiences more interested in Saudi Arabian football and a springboard for the plan to host the 2034 World Cup.
Notably, Saudi Arabia, through PIF, has not only invested money in the club but also pumped more than $1 billion into DAZN, the owner of the broadcasting rights to the Club World Cup 2025™. FIFA has also announced a total prize fund of $1 billion for the tournament. With such a large sum, shocks like the Al Hilal - Man City match give the Club World Cup more reason to exist and attract sponsors.
Man City had to leave the tournament early, but with the huge prize money, they can still be satisfied financially and have more time to prepare for the new season. Coach Guardiola himself admitted that Man City players were exhausted.
For Al Hilal, the nearly $35 million in prize money is just one part. The bigger thing is that they have created a new image. Saudi Arabian football is no longer a retirement destination, but is capable of competing on equal terms with European giants, at least in a knockout match where spirit and tactical calculation prevail.
Source: https://znews.vn/al-hilal-kiem-bon-tien-sau-khi-loai-man-city-post1565216.html
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