Football’s top five European national teams could earn at least as much as the winner of the 2018 Fifa World Cup by participating in the top division of the Nations League if an investment proposal from a consortium looking to run the tournament is approved, according to the Associated Press news agency.
The report said that Fifa president Gianni Infantino had outlined the financial projections of the Nations League in a letter to the council of football’s global governing body that was seen by the AP.
Infantino also reportedly stated that Fifa would have a 51-per-cent stake in the joint venture established to operate the Nations League and Club World Cup from 2021 to 2033.
Fifa forecasts that the top five national associations in Europe, whose national teams would compete in ‘Division One’, would receive between $37.5m (€31.2m) and $50m every two years. The winner of the 2018 World Cup will receive $38m.
Teams that qualify for the ‘Final Eight’ competition would receive a further $15m, with an extra $5m allocated to the runner-up and $10m awarded to the winner. The Final Eight would feature eight teams from five continents, including three teams from Europe and two from Latin America, and would take place late in odd-numbered years.
As revealed previously, the consortium, led by Japanese investors but featuring figures from across the world, would underwrite guaranteed income of at least $25bn over 12 years for acquiring the rights to run the Nations League on a two-year format with more than 200 teams worldwide and the Club World Cup on a quadrennial cycle for 24 teams.
“They are not only among the world’s most solid investors, but also very motivated to work with Fifa and the world football community,” Infantino said.
“Obviously, should you feel that more time is needed for the Nations League as it does not only concern Fifa, the project could also be split and the two competitions could be discussed separately. This would probably entail a change in the financial terms related to the Nations League, but it could certainly be explored further.
“Should the confederations show their willingness to move forward, an extraordinary Fifa council meeting would be called around mid-May to finalise Fifa’s position on the strategic matters impacting this project.”
Source: AP
