MLS Club World Cup Prize Haul Hits $41 Million With Inter Miami Exit

Major League Soccer’s run at the FIFA Club World Cup ended Sunday afternoon, with its three participating clubs earning a combined $41.15 million from appearance fees and on-field performance.

The bulk of that money—$21.05 million—was earned by Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. The only MLS club to make it out of the group stage, Inter Miami lost 4-0 to European champion (and Messi’s former club) PSG in the Round of 16 on Sunday afternoon.

The Seattle Sounders lost all three group stage games and will take home just the $9.55 million appearance fee. LAFC lost twice but tied one game and earned $10.55 million.

That money is kept solely by the MLS teams—there’s no broader league revenue-sharing involved—but there is an ongoing dispute about how much is shared by players. Page 36 of the league’s collective bargaining agreement puts a $1 million cap on total player bonuses for each non-MLS tournament, but that agreement took effect in February 2020, before this new, expanded (and more lucrative) Club World Cup fully took form. Both MLS and the MLS Players Association seem to agree that the players should get a larger piece of these payouts, but have so far been unable to agree on exactly what it should be.

This issue has grown contentious in the last few weeks. Earlier this month Sounders players took the field wearing t-shirts that read “Club World Cup Ca$h Grab” with the image of Mr. Monopoly. A league exec told CBS Sports that MLS had “no obligation” to provide more than the CBA stipulated, while a union executive called the situation “very disappointing.” Representatives for MLS and the union didn’t immediately respond to requests about the status of the negotiations.

This is the first Club World Cup to feature 32 teams—it was seven previously—and the nationwide event has been viewed as tune-up of sorts for the United States, which is co-hosting the men’s World Cup next summer. The expansion came with a record $1 billion prize pool, with $525 million (52.5%) of that total given to teams just for participating, and the other $475 million (47.5%) doled out based on their success.

FIFA did not announce the exact participation fee for every team, but those from CONCACAF, the soccer confederation for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, were paid $9.55 million each. Teams from Asia and Africa earned the same for their participation, while those from South America and Europe made more.

In the group stage, teams earned $2 million for each win, and $1 million for each tie. Teams make another $7.5 million for making the Round of 16, $13.13 million for making the quarterfinals, $21 million for making the semis, $30 million for making the final, and another $40 million for the title.

Inter Miami won once and tied twice in the group stage, accounting for its $21.05 million haul.

Inter Miami, LAFC and the Sounders are three of MLS’ most valuable clubs. LAFC is No. 1 at $1.28 billion, according to Sportico’s MLS valuations. Inter Miami is No. 2 at $1.19 billion and the Sounders are No. 7 at $825 million.

Inter Miami ranked first in 2024 revenue, at $190 million. LAFC was second at $142 million and the Sounders were ninth at $83 million.