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Gianni Infantino hails 'revolutionary' DAZN deal as FIFA Club World Cup kicks off
Gianni Infantino has hailed the new FIFA Club World Cup on the eve of its opening game, heralding the tournament's groundbreaking deal with DAZN as "revolutionary".
Thirty-two teams will contest 63 games over the course of a month in the United States, starting with Inter Miami against Al Ahly today, with every game free to air on DAZN.
The revamped and expanded tournament brings together a host of major teams from all corners of the globe, led by some of the biggest superstar talents on the planet.
Now, in an exclusive interview with DAZN, FIFA president Infantino has revealed his elation as both a supporter and administrator for the four-week jamboree of action.
"As a football fan, I cannot wait for it to start," he said. "It is an incredible feeling of real excitement. We are making history here, football history. It is a new era of football
"A new competition for club football, with clubs from all over the world. It is fantastic. The TV deal we made with DAZN is revolutionary. It is groundbreaking, it is unique.
DAZN
"As long as I remember, club football is behind a paywall, and here, suddenly, we have the best of football, the Club World Cup, free for everyone, everywhere in the world.
"The only thing you have to do is register on DAZN and you can watch it wherever you are in the world. This will contribute to popularise even more the game, the people's game."
The tournament comes one year before the United States co-hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup with Canada and Mexico, itself in an expanded format with more teams than ever.
Infantino hopes the twin tournaments can help make greater in-roads to compete with basketball and American football, adding: "It's very close to the top American sports.
"Our objective, or one of our objectives with the Club World Cup and then the World Cup, with this twelve months of huge soccer events in the US is the top of the landscape here .
"[We want to] make it one of the top sports. It is number one in the world already, but it has to become one of the top sports as well in such a great country as the United States."
The tournament will see a host of big-name sides feature, including Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Infantino's own beloved Inter.
But the president admits there will be an added joy from seeing lesser-known sides, adding: "The clubs that we don't know necessarily, these are the ones that are exciting.
(Getty Images)
"Football fans religiously follow their club. You support the national team because it is your country, but the club is inside [your heart]. I'm looking forward to seeing the fans."
A host of superstars old and new will also line up for the tournament, but few will capture the imagination like Lionel Messi, who leads Inter Miami at his fourth Club World Cup.
The Argentina superstar is looking to add another triumph to his trilogy of tournament successes and the FIFA World Cup too, with Infantino adding: "Messi is already a legend.
"For every football fan, he is a fantastic player. We have seen what he has been doing for soccer in America, playing for Inter Miami. He is a special, special player."
Watch all 63 matches of the 2025 Club World Cup live on DAZN. More information and to sign up for a free account here.
