Football's Bold New Chapter

Players from over 80 nations involved as Fifa aims to truly globalise club football

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MIAMI - Fifa president Gianni Infantino says the Club World Cup, which kicks off this weekend, marks a historic "new era" for the game, comparing it to the first World Cup held in 1930.

In an interview with AFP, Infantino also took aim at critics of Fifa's ticketing policy and said that sceptics who had questioned the need for the tournament would quickly change their minds.

The 32-team competition, with clubs from all continents, gets under way with Lionel Messi's Inter Miami facing Egyptian club Al Ahly at Miami Gardens' Hard Rock Stadium on June 14.

"It starts a new era of football, a new era of club football. A little bit like when, in 1930, the first World Cup, right, started," Infantino said.

"Everyone today speaks about the very first World Cup. That's why it's also, this World Cup here is historic."

Infantino highlighted that the inaugural 1930 World Cup in Uruguay featured European and North and South American teams, contrasting this with the Club World Cup's mission to provide clubs from non-traditional football regions a platform to compete on the global stage.

"We want to be inclusive. We want to give opportunities to clubs from all over the world," he said.