Heading into the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, I figured we were basically looking at two different competitions. In the first, lots of non-European teams would get useful exposure and experience -- and yes, some decent money -- as they played against both each other and Europe's big dogs. We'd also learn a little bit about the strengths and styles of different leagues and continents.
Then, in the second competition, the European teams with all the money would take over. I feared that they would grab at least seven quarterfinal spots, then play what appeared to be sedate exhibitions against each other for large sums of cash.