The most enduring sporting events deliver quality and jeopardy, and connect emotionally with fans. According to our analysis, the Club World Cup faces challenges in all three areas:

• Quality: just 50 of the world’s top 100 players feature in the tournament, compared to a benchmark of 72 at the 2022 World Cup. Moreover, 3 of the world’s 4 best teams currently did not qualify

• Jeopardy: 1-in-4 group matches have a favourite with an 80% chance of winning, something which doesn’t happen at the World Cup. Meanwhile, there is more than a 95% chance of a European winner

• Connection: three of the world’s seven most followed clubs on social media are absent from the tournament, along with other popular players

Growing and professionalising football globally – thereby reducing the sport’s Euro-centrism – would in the long term improve the event in these areas, though the prize money distributions may hinder rather than advance this ambition.