If you want to get a yawn out of a British fan, all you have to do is mention the FIFA Club World Cup. You will almost certainly be told that nobody cares about it, but the definition of “nobody” in this sentence is very flimsy. It is certainly true that not many Premier League fans are interested, and the same probably applies to much of Europe, which has cluttered up its own calendar so much that there is little room for anything else.
If you step outside Europe, though, you will probably get a very different response, especially in South America. The battle for worldwide footballing supremacy — in both club and international football — is very close to the South American soul. After all, it was South America that brought the FIFA World Cup into existence. And as soon as Europe sorted out its club championship with the UEFA Champions League, South America rushed to start up the Copa Libertadores, with the explicit idea of staging a contest between the champions of the game’s two traditional continents.
Nothing has changed. For South America, this year’s Club World Cup is not an awkward imposition, it is an enormous opportunity.
In Argentina, the domestic league is starting earlier this year to ease things for River Plate and Boca Juniors, who will be taking part in the Club World Cup. Brazil has gone even further. In mid-season, the league will shut down for a month to allow Botafogo, Flamengo, Palmeiras and Fluminense to head north to the United States unencumbered by domestic fixtures.
The build-up has already begun. In two ways, the impact of the new competition is being felt in the January transfer window.
The first is that some coveted players are not leaving South America. Flamengo right-back Wesley, for example, has reportedly received an offer from Aston Villa and interest from AC Milan, but he is still in Rio, an important part of coach Filipe Luis’s summer plans.
Palmeiras were adamant that they would not let young centre-back Vitor Reis go to Manchester City until after the Club World Cup, but the amount of money on offer kept rising. In the end, they could hardly say no to a £35 million offer for a 19-year-old who, although promising, was not guaranteed a place in the starting lineup of coach Abel Ferreira.
In contrast, the breathtaking talent of left-footed winger Estêvão is a vital part of Palmeiras’ first team, but not for long. Chelsea signed the 17-year-old last year, but a condition of the deal was that he would not move to London until the Club World Cup was over.
In the case of Botafogo, it now looks more likely that centre-forward Igor Jesus, the first choice for Brazil in the last few games, will be staying a few months more. Club owner John Textor had predicted that the player would be on his way to the Premier League, but after spending big last year, Botafogo have had to say farewell to some of the players who made them champions of Brazil and South America. The current thinking is that it might be better to keep Igor Jesus for a few more months.
Under normal circumstances, so many of these players would’ve crossed the Atlantic this month. With the Club World Cup looming, most are staying put.
The stronger side of the balance sheet is that of big-name players who might be tempted to join a club that will be taking part in the Club World Cup. Those teams are certainly looking for reinforcements.
The Argentine clubs do not have the same financial clout as the Brazilians. Even so, Boca Juniors have brought in Spanish former Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera. River Plate, meanwhile, have opted to bring back some old friends, such as attacking midfielder Sebastián Driussi, who was signed from MLS side Austin FC, as well as a couple of Argentina internationals who were in Europe: centre-back Lucas MartÃnez Quarta and right-back Gonzalo Montiel, the man whose penalty won the World Cup for them in 2022.
The Brazilian clubs are still doing plenty of negotiating. Flamengo have signed striker Juninho from Qarabag in Azerbaijan. This is clearly an attempt to emulate Botafogo’s success with Igor Jesus, who this time last year was a relative unknown in the United Arab Emirates, and when brought back home made such an impact that he was quickly integrated in the Brazil team. Flamengo have also been talking to Arsenal midfielder Jorginho and Juventus defender Danilo, who recently has captained Brazil.
Botafogo are in a state of flux, currently looking for a coach, but they have just let Luiz Henrique go to Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia and are planning to bring a few players back the other way. Little winger Artur — briefly on the fringes of the Brazil side — has arrived, and the club hope to add midfielders Wendel of Zenit and Bitello of Dinamo Moscow as well.
The club that appears to be planning most assiduously is Palmeiras. They have already brought in Uruguayan playmaker Facundo Torres from Orlando City. They missed out on Olympic gold medal winner Claudinho, who chose to go to Al Sadd in Qatar, but they’ve made no secret of their pursuit of Fulham’s Andreas Pereira and have also been linked with Vinicius Souza of Sheffield United, Deivid Washington of Chelsea and Real Betis centre-forward Vitor Roque. There is no immediate hurry, as Palmeiras are prepared to wait until the last few days to play some transfer window poker.
What matters most to them is that they have a strong hand when the Club World Cup kicks off in June.
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