Reports | UEFA planning to extend International Champions Cup to rival Club World Cup
UEFA are planning to extend and transform the International Champions Cup to compete and rival with FIFA's Club World Cup with the first edition set to be held in USA. The FIFA Club World Cup is a quadrennial tournament but the new version of the International Champions Cup will be an annual event.
UEFA and FIFA have been at odds for quite some time now and with UEFA’s new initiative, President Aleksander Ceferin has hinted that the ice won’t break any sooner. FIFA’s financial prowess has challenged their motives off organizing the Club World Cup, which is conducted every four years. The Daily Mail was the first to report about a deal between UEFA and Relevant Sports Group over the ICC and the possibility of the same has only grown.
Sources from the New York Times have reported that meetings between Europe’s elite clubs have already happened with Relevant Sports Group owner Stephen M Ross. The UEFA are planning to format the tournament in a similar way to the Nations League, with a group stage followed by the knockout round. But, reports indicate that they are wary of the backlash that the Nations League had suffered as many believe that it piled extra pressure on the players.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino won’t be glad to know that the inaugural edition of UEFA’s new venture will probably be held along with the Club World Cup dated around June 2021. The USA are the likely venue for the tournament’s debut, with a move to Asia also on the cards. This will surely lead to more interest in the International Champions Cup which has always been seen as a preparatory tournament for the big clubs before they start with the domestic season.