This week we look at a sporting event that’s bringing the best players from across the world to play for a $1 billion prize pot, and very few people have a clue it’s happening. Then we catch up with the gossip from the NBA Finals. 

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The Other World Cup

Hi, it’s David. This might be breaking news for some Americans, but the US is about to host a major soccer competition featuring some of the best clubs in the world.

FIFA’s Club World Cup begins on June 14 in Miami when hometown Inter Miami takes on Egypt’s Al Ahly. In all, 32 teams will play 63 matches in the month-long tournament, seen by some as a warm-up to the actual Word Cup being co-hosted by the US next year. And there’s a $1 billion prize pot up for grabs, a huge amount for football clubs, especially European ones who constantly run at a loss. 

But with just over a week before kickoff, there are mounting concerns about a lack of interest. There are still thousands of unsold tickets, including for the final on July 13, according to Ticketmaster’s website.

Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, right, and US President Donald Trump look at the FIFA Club World Cup trophy. I think I’d just take the prize money.  Photographer: Chris Kleponis/CNP

Maybe not enough Americans care about what the rest of the world calls football? Maybe all the negative headlines about foreign tourists getting detained while in the US is having a chilling effect on international fans attending?

Whatever the reason, it’s gotten so bad that some ticket buyers have recently been informed that their seats are being moved – closer to the pitch. The goal appears to be to make the stadiums look less empty on screen.

“Operations are being optimised to ensure the best possible matchday experience for fans, players and the global broadcast audience,” said an email from FIFA seen by Bloomberg News.

For the competition’s opening match featuring Inter Miami, and possibly featuring Lionel Messi, prices for the cheapest seats were originally set at more than $200. But now tickets at Hard Rock Stadium, which holds 65,000, can be had for just $55.75.

FIFA declined to comment for this story. It pointed to recent comments from FIFA President Gianni Infantino that the Club World Cup will help teams become "better and bigger all over the world."

The Club World Cup debuted in 2000 as FIFA’s attempt to replicate the success of UEFA’s Champions League, a competition amongst the best European clubs. Over the years, FIFA has dabbled with the format and timing to improve viewership, but to little avail. 

This edition has more teams and will be played in America’s summer, including in southern cities such as Nashville and Charlotte. The expanded tournament has only increased criticism that it’s a cash grab by FIFA with little regard for player health, since it’s happening just a few weeks after many leagues ended.

One head of a UK supporters group called the Club World Cup a “Disneyland-type spectacle, where the competition makes no sense and fans are being exploited to pay exorbitant prices.”

A person close to FIFA said that because the expanded tournament was the first of its kind, it would be only natural for it to take time to hit its stride. The person also said that the competition had attracted interest from fans in 135 countries.

Meanwhile, some fans who might have viewed the ticket prices earlier this year as quite high are being contacted to advise them that they will soon receive partial refunds, as general ticket prices are reduced to attract more spectators, the person said.

Lionel Messi of Inter Miami during a preseason friendly match against Orlando City SC in Tampa, Florida Photographer: Octavio Jones/AFP

There is also the unresolved mess of getting a visa to the US, not a straight-forward process for much of the world at the best of times.

It hasn’t helped that qualification for the tournament is a bit muddy, too. UEFA competitions depend on performance in the prior year, whereas entry into the Club World Cup is based on success over a longer period.

Hence, Juventus, the Italian club that didn't win a trophy last season, is in the tournament, but Liverpool, England’s league winner, and Spanish champions Barcelona aren’t (that includes the best player on the planet, Lamine Yamal).

I guess it would’ve been different if FIFA had managed to seal its deal with Apple to broadcast the show. Remember that!?

Instead, the Club World Cup will also be a good test of the strategy being employed by DAZN, the sports streaming company controlled by billionaire Len Blavatnik.

The company is spending a reported $1 billion on the media rights for the tournament, hoping to grow its presence in the US. All the games will be streamable on DAZN’s platform for free with a premium option available. The TNT network will also air select matches.

But how much fans, especially American ones, will care remains to be seen. 

“Can they create the right buzz?” says Massimo Marinelli, a football industry expert. “It's all a bit unproven at this stage.”

ICYMI

• Nike and Jordan have long been the most dominant brands on NBA courts. But in the finals, the best player on the overwhelming favorite to win the championship will be in Converse, a big opportunity for a brand that once dominated hoops.
• Wrexham AFC, the Welsh football club owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is considering selling a stake for a valuation of up to £350 million ($475 million).
• US President Donald Trump’s support of Pete Rose was taken into account by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred when he changed a rule that allowed the deceased Rose to be reinstated.
• Bloomberg columnist Adam Minter says NFL players shouldn’t be allowed to play flag football in the Olympics. The sport will make its Olympic debut in 2028 at the games in Los Angeles.

Small Market Basketball Association

What’s good folks, it’s Randall writing from Oklahoma City for Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. When I arrived, I found out I was staying in a haunted hotel, replete with flickering lights and slamming closet doors. I guess it was where Knicks fans were supposed to be staying.

Anyways, I’ll start by saying it’s fascinating to see the pro basketball culture of NBA cities come alive. Last year, Boston was bleeding green all over the city. In Oklahoma City, it’s so much calmer. The streets are pretty empty most hours of the day until hours before the game. 

Interestingly enough, OKC residents can feel the presence of the Finals. “The parking where I live is completely packed and that’s not normal; people are flying all over the country to see these games,” said Skyler Smith, an Oklahoma City resident who’s been a big Thunder fan. Smith wasn’t going to the game but said “it’s having a tremendous impact on the city. The only downside is if they become a dynasty like the Warriors then my wife and I literally could get priced out of our apartment.”

Pascal Siakam of the Indiana Pacers attempts a shot against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA Finals in Oklahoma City on June 5. Photographer: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America

I’m not so sure the Thunder will have a dynastic run like the Warriors did, after this series is over we’ll have seven different champions in seven years. I won’t get too much into the ratings conversation until next week. Yes, these are medium and small-market teams, but the NBA just signed a $76 billion media deal and all of that money is guaranteed. The parity era the league is in right now will birth superstars the same way any other era has, it’ll just come in a different way.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke about this a bit at his press conference in OKC.

“I like the fact that people are talking about us,” Silver said. “I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. It seems unusual how much discussion there is around ratings in this league. Even for me sort of walking on the street, fans coming up to me, it frustrates me that the first thing they say is, how are the ratings? As opposed to, wow, you have two incredible Conference Finals, what a great playoff series you had.”

Silver also mentioned how the takeover of the Boston Celtics is going, saying Bill Chisholm is still in the process of completing it and has “got to straighten out some affairs in his life and his business, he’s currently living on the west coast.”

The league is expected to grant the Grousbeck family the deal they intended, which was selling the Celtics in two parts with Wyc Grousbeck staying on board until 2028 and then Chisholm will take over. 

The NBA All-Star Game is also changing format to something similar to what the NHL did last year with the four nations competition. The league hasn’t been able to fix All-Star Weekend for years, but hopefully with it being in the Los Angeles area at the Intuit Dome, the stars will show up and show out. 

What I’d say about expansion is that there is unbelievable interest from Seattle and Las Vegas in particular, those two cities have long been considered the favorites. But the way in which Silver talks about expansion is with caution. The topic will officially be on the docket at the board of governors meeting in July with Silver saying “if we were to say yes, we’re now going to move into a more formal exploratory phase.”

What he didn’t mention was if the sale of the Portland Trail Blazers — last month being put up for sale by the estate of Paul Allen, the Microsoft Corp. co-founder — could impact potential expansion. With the league cautiously walking up to expansion, I’d guess the Trail Blazers would sell first and then if the league chooses to expand, it’ll happen following the conclusion of that sale.

Inside PayCom Center, it’s like a college rivalry game, Thunder fans do not lack spirit. It’s not the loudest arena I’ve been to but it is undoubtedly one of the most organized. Oklahomans know their chants and they just don’t stop. O-K-C. O-K-C. O-K-C. It’s not as bad as it was in New Orleans when Eagles fans wouldn’t stop with the e-a-g-l-e-s… EAGLES.

The only time Thunder fans were silenced was with 0.3 seconds remaining after Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton hit a game-winning jump shot. Which is exactly what Silver probably wanted. Sure, it’s not a big market matchup, but what often gets lost in the big money takeovers, ratings bickering and sideshow tournaments is that the NBA finals are supposed to be fun to watch. Everything else comes second.

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