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FIFA unveils brand new Club World Cup trophy

Prince Odutola1 month ago1 month ago05 mins

Global football’s governing body FIFA have revealed a brand new trophy to accompany the relaunch of the Club World Cup in the summer of 2025. Manchester City will be present at the tournament hosted by the United States next summer following their success in the UEFA Champions League at the tail-end of their historic 2022/23 Treble-winning season. After the single-goal triumph over Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Manchester City would also qualify for the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, in which the club would emerge victorious on both occasions. Success in Saudi Arabia via wins over Urawa Red Diamonds and Fluminense would also mean that Manchester City would retain their status as World Champions for a period of two years, with FIFA opting to put the 2024 edition of the tournament on hold ahead of the expanded edition. 2025 will see the return of the FIFA Club World Cup in a new and expanded format, as a total of 32 teams will take to the stage across multiple stadiums in the United States, in what will also act as a warm-up for the nation ahead of co-hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2026. And alongside the arrival of a revamped tournament comes a revamped trophy, as unveiled by FIFA this week which implements a 24-carat gold-plated finish and multiple laser-engraved inscriptions all over. Those inscriptions also tell the story of football’s history, 13 languages, Braille and a world map, highlighting the spread and inclusivity of the global game, with the unveiling in anticipation of the Club World Cup draw taking place on Thursday 5 December. Manchester City’s involvement at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup opens up the prospect of the club partaking in around 70 matches across competitions this season, in what is becoming an increasingly concerning picture for global football athletes through such demands. Defensive midfield superstar and recently-crowned Ballon d’Or winner Rodri hinted at players from across the game taking matters into their own hands amid the growing fixture schedule, suggesting that strike action may be the only route to take in order for their voices to be heard. This week has seen Rodri’s club teammate Bernardo Silva also weigh in on the matter, as he said, “This break has been very beneficial for us. Let’s not deny it: it was a difficult time for our team.” He continued, “It had never happened to me in my career. At City, I can’t even remember losing two games in a row. “It’s [the break] done us good, because there are players who will be back from injury, and we have fresh heads to get back to our maximum level at this stage of the season.”

Joshua, Fury fight must happen in 2025 – Hearn

Prince Odutola3 months ago3 months ago05 mins

The much-awaited heavyweight bout between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury must “definitely” take place by the end of 2025 or it will never happen, said promoter Eddie Hearn. A super-fight between two generational stars of British boxing has been mooted for several years but always stalled during negotiations. Joshua, 34, challenges Daniel Dubois for the IBF belt at Wembley Stadium on Saturday and Fury, 36, takes on Oleksandr Usyk – who holds the three other recognised world titles – in December’s rematch. “I do think AJ-Fury will happen regardless of whether Fury wins or not, but the size of the fight depends on their next two results,” Hearn told BBC Sport. In June, Joshua urged Fury to fight him while both boxers are still “fresh” but said he will not “sit around and wait” for his fellow British heavyweight. Asked whether there is a deadline of next year, Matchroom’s Hearn replied: “Yes, definitely.” With substantial investment into boxing from Saudi Arabia, there is new hope the bout will finally materialise. “If AJ beats Dubois and Fury beats Usyk, you’ve got the biggest fight in the history of the sport ever. If one loses and the other wins, it’s still a monster fight,” Hearn added. Joshua broke down in tears after a second consecutive defeat by Usyk in 2022, but worked himself back into a world-title mandatory challenger position with a four-fight winning streak. If he beats Dubois he will emulate greats Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko and Evander Holyfield by becoming a three-time heavyweight world champion. “The magnitude of the achievement will be something incredible if he can pull it off,” Hearn said. “We’re two wins away from undisputed and one win away from getting a fight to be undisputed. I truly believe he will still do it.” Joshua must first come overcome Dubois in front of a British post-war record of 96,000 fans, which will top the 94,000 set by Fury v Dillian Whyte in 2022. After Saturday’s event, around 480,000 spectators will have watched Joshua headline in six UK stadium fights. “People always ask me where the next AJ is coming from. You have to understand, this person is a one-off and there will never be another one,” added Hearn. “Whatever you think of his boxing ability, in terms of how he has transcended the sport, changed boxing by opening up stadium fights as part of the norm, it will never be repeated.” Joshua became world champion in 2016. He lost the title to Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019 before winning the rematch just six months later. Dubois, 27, will make a first defence of the title he won after he was upgraded from interim to full world champion when Usyk vacated the IBF belt. Although Dubois challenged Usyk in front of 40,000 fans in Poland last year, Hearn feels it “takes a specific kind of individual” to handle the pressure of topping a Wembley Stadium bill. “The media attention and frenzy, all the moments before the bell on fight night – you’ve got to hold your nerve when you walk through that tunnel in front of 96,000 people,” said Hearn. “For AJ this is bread and butter. He’s been there before and done it but he’s got the hunger and the desire. “Forget the money in the bank, he badly wants to become world champion again.”