Treble winners and four-time consecutive Premier League champions, Man City, could collect arguably their easiest payday yet this summer by playing just seven matches, as it has been confirmed that the total prize money pot for the 2025 Club World Cup is a whopping $1 billion.
We know you can’t hear us through the screen but just know there was an audible gulp.
That’s right, the winner of this year’s FIFA Club World Cup competition will not only get to don the same golden badge as Manchester City did last season but also be able to claim the biggest chunk of an equivalent £775m in British sterling should they emerge victorious.
Not only does this now make the upcoming edition of the international club tournament the most lucrative one in world football but it will also be the biggest single pot of prize money ever won in the sport’s history.
BREAKING: FIFA to announce prize money of $1 billion for Club World Cup for 32 teams, which includes Chelsea and Man City 🚨💰 pic.twitter.com/Gd6Ty5tykC
Set to take place in the US this summer from Saturday, 14 June to Sunday, 13 July, the 2025 Club World Cup will be a revamped version of the competition that had already been won once by City, once by Manchester United, and once by Liverpool.
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It only began back in 2000, with Brazilian side Corinthians winning the inaugural edition and giants such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona going on to lift the trophy multiple times – Los Blancos boasting the most with five wins.
Cut to the present day and following major sponsorship and broadcasting deals being struck in recent months, with DAZN securing exclusive worldwide broadcasting rights as well as 24 games being televised by TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport).
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For a long time, the significance of the Club World Cup has been put to one side and merely dismissed a series of glorified pre-season friendlies by teams and their supporters alike.
However, it’s fair to say that offering figures in the region of £100m or maybe even upwards of that for just four weeks of work, as Kaveh Solhekol puts it, will no doubt see plenty of teams change their tune. In theory, they don’t even need to win them all to get their hands on it either.
To put these figures into context, the total prize money for the 2022 Qatar World Cup was $440 million (approx. £341.8m); Argentina got almost £33m of that and the winner of this current UEFA Champions League campaign will earn around £21.1m on top of the roughly £15.7m they get for qualifying.
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So yeah, it’s very big money…
Only Chelsea and Man City are among those representing the UK in the tournament this summer, and although the Blues haven’t been at their very brilliant best this season, you would bank on beating a lot of the big hitters contending for the Club World Cup title this year.
Major European names include record-winners Madrid as well as their Athletico; Bayern and Borussia Dortmund; PSG, Inter, Juventus and Benfica, not to mention the likes of Messi‘s Inter Miami – who have the home nation advantage – Palmeiras, River Plate, Boca Juniors and more from outside the continent.
Although FIFA is yet to confirm exactly how much the winner of this £1 billion competition will take home, in the instance of the now record-breaking 2025 Club World Cup, it seems that it really is the taking part that counts.
Even if the estimate of £77.5m for the champion is vaguely accurate, that’s game-changing money for any team, especially Man City given the shadow of FFP, PSR and the now 130 alleged charges still looming over them.
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Investigations and slightly nauseating levels of money on the line aside, as is often the case with football these days, City continue to become an increasingly massive and truly global club.
So much so that the Etihad Campus won’t soon just be a stadium and series of sports facilities but a year-round ‘entertainment destination’.
Be part of the biggest Great Manchester Run ever
Danny Jones
Runners and regular Mancs alike, start lacing up your trainers and sorting safety pins early, because the Great Manchester Run is back for 2026, and you can be part of it.
With sign-ups flying and bibs selling out fast, we really recommend getting a move on and booking your place now to make sure you’re part of what is, without fail, not just one of the most exciting dates on the local sporting calendar, but always a great day for the city in general.
Returning for its 23rd edition and fourth year being backed by principal sponsors, AJ Bell, we can assure it’ll be as well-attended as ever.
In fact, judging by the numbers already and the increasing crowds of spectators every year, this is looking on course to be the biggest Great Manchester Run to date.
The only question is, are you going to help make it the BEST yet by joining the thousands of others already finding the perfect spot to hang their shiny new medal?
Half-marathon, 10k, junior and mini races
As ever, the Great MCR Run isn’t just limited to one event: there are multiple distances, routes and age groups that can race the route in and around the city centre.
Whether you’re a seasoned runner looking to get in a PB, looking to box off your first half, love a 10, or you’re a youngster looking to get in on the action and soak up some of that glory on the day
So, whether you’re a seasoned runner looking to get in a PB, looking to box off your first half, love a 10, or you’re a youngster looking to get in on the action and soak up some of that glory on the day, there really is fun for all ages.
In all seriousness, even watching the massive metropolitan event stood next to the roads with homemade signs promises plenty of atmosphere, but with fancy dress galore, various different activations in the middle of the city, there’s not a chance you’ll get bored.
Even in the years we’ve missed out on running it ourselves (it sold well in advance last year, for instance), the pure buzz we got from joining countless other Mancs cheering from the pavement is enough to keep us coming back time and time again.
All that being said, if you’re looking to sort the perfect Christmas present for a runner, or simply need more reason to give yourself the kick up the backside you’ve been waiting for and just put your name down, this is it.
Besides the full annual marathon in April, running events simply don’t get bigger in this region than this one, so don’t miss out.
Sign up for the 2026 Great Manchester Run right HERE.
Featured Images — Great Run Company/AJ Bell (supplied)
Sport
Wigan Warriors finally reveal next season’s kits following update on delayed release
Danny Jones
Wigan Warriors have now officially revealed their new shirts for next season, following a much-anticipated update regarding the 2026 kits, the release of which had been delayed.
The Greater Manchester club lost this year’s Grand Final but still had a strong season, and with another local outfit having been relegated from the division, they are one of just two teams from the region competing for the title in the upcoming campaign.
However, supporters were fretting that they might not be able to get their new threads until after Christmas due to the launch of the latest merchandise being postponed.
Thankfully, this week, the club not only informed fans that things are getting back on schedule but also officially revealed the Wigan Warriors home and away shirt strips for the 30th anniversary edition of the Super League on Tuesday afternoon.
As you can see, the nearby rugby outfit is staying with Kappa as their manufacturer and, as ever, is sticking with the deep red, white and black colour combos across both jerseys.
Branding the home shirt as the ‘Loyal’ fit and the away one as their ‘Rebel’ version, the kits both feature horizontal stripes and other geometrical variations.
Most notably, Warriors now have a positive update on the status of the kits’ full launch, even if they don’t have an exact timeline just yet.
Writing to fans in an official statement, the club said: “Wigan Warriors are happy to report that [we are] expecting delivery of the 2026 home and away kits imminently.”
They go on to explain that they have been “experiencing significant delays” regarding the supply pipeline, which they say “were beyond the control of the Club.”
Nevertheless, the cogs are moving once again; you can see a closer look at some of the details below.
The home shirt…A.K.A. ‘Loyal’ kitAnd the away jersey…Or ‘Rebel’ strip
Warriors Chief Executive, Kris Radlinski, continued: “We want to thank everyone for their patience and continued support. Due to issues outside of our control, delivery timelines have unfortunately been impacted.
“We understand how frustrating this has been for supporters, particularly so close to Christmas, and we genuinely share that frustration. Please be assured that our team has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure delivery as quickly as possible.
“We apologise that we have not been able to provide an earlier update while matters were ongoing. We are pleased to confirm that the delivery has now cleared customs and will be arriving at the Club imminently.”
Although personalisation will not yet be made available due to a focus on processing “as many orders as possible in the shortest time frame”, pre-orders for both shirts are now live, and those interested are being urged to opt for click and collect/visit in store where possible to avoid any further waiting.
Danny Jones -
6th March 2025 
