Eye-watering R900m FIFA Club World Cup participation fee awaits Mamelodi Sundowns

John Goliath

Mamelodi Sundowns will earn an eye-watering R900 million participation fee before kicking a ball in anger at the Club World Cup later this year.

To put that amount into perspective, that is around the same money the Premier Soccer League’s top league - the Betway Premiership - earns in sponsorship money for the next three years from their title backer.

Sundowns are valued at approximately R400 million, meaning the participation fee is effectively more than double the club's worth.

It's a game-changer, even for South Africa’s richest team, who already boast some of the country’s best players and best overseas talent the fragile Rand can attract. That injection will give them even more cash in the kitty to go in search of the cream of the crop.

Sundowns were already the biggest transfer fee spenders in Africa in 2024, according to FIFA's annual Global Transfer Report.

Sundowns occupy the top spot in Africa for only the second time in their history. In 2022 they became the first team from outside the Maghreb region, as North African clubs dominated this space in previous years.

Sundowns’ local rivals such as Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates must be looking at the amount of zeros and thinking “we have no chance” competing with the Brazilians. After winning the SA Premiership for the past seven seasons, nobody will bet against them dominating the league for another decade.

But that R900m may just be a drop in the ocean in comparison to what they may earn if they progress deep into the FIFA Club World Cup tournament, which will be played in the United States in June and July.

The total prize money at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is estimated to be around $2.5 billion. That is more than $2 billion more than the total prize money teams competed for at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Most of that money is to be paid out as participation fee, with Sundowns receiving $50 million (around R900 million) just to fly to America. Of course, while this fee is an unbelievable amount of money for teams such as Sundowns, it is to ensure that teams such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain do participate and bring their big guns to the tournament.

But the prize money is also a massive carrot. According to reports the winner is set to take away around $100 million (almost R2 billion). There will also be prize money for reaching the round of 16, quarter-finals, and semi-finals.

Sundowns are in Group F alongside Brazil’s Fluminense, German giants Borussia Dortmund and Ulsan HD of South Korea. They need to finish in the top two in their group to advance to the next round.

If the South African champions manage to do that, they could push that R900 million to over a R1 billion. Either way, they are in line for the biggest payday in the history of South African sport.

@JohnGoliath82