Kuwait City: The inaugural expanded version of the club World Cup, which is set to take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13, is distributing a record USD one billion in prize money to some 32 participating teams from around the globe. This year's edition of the prestigious tournament will witness 32 top clubs from different continents vying for supremacy, a significant alteration from past installments that only featured seven teams, comprising the reigning champions from six continental federations and the host nation's domestic league winners. According to Kuwait News Agency, the revamped tournament draws similarities to the international World Cup, while the participating teams have earned the right to feature either through their Champions League performances over the past four seasons, or by way of a UEFA ranking system determined by clubs' performances during those seasons. Europe has the lion's share of quotas from all the confederations, with 12 places secured for clubs from the Old Co ntinent, while there are four club places apiece for Asia and Africa, in addition to the North and Central American federations, as compared to six places given to South American clubs and a solitary spot to Oceania. In March, despite earning their qualification to the showpiece event on the pitch, Mexican club Leon was removed from the club World Cup after failing to comply with tournament regulations on multi-club ownership, which prohibit clubs to hold shares in another club participating in the summer competition. In terms of statistics, Spanish sides hold the record for most club World Cup victories with some eight triumphs, five of which belong to Real Madrid, while England has had the most representatives to have won the title, which include Manchester United, reigning champions Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea. In other facts, Germany's Toni Kroos is the most player to have won the club World Cup, five times as a Real Madrid player and once while playing for Bayern Munich, while his former te ammate Cristiano Ronaldo remains the competition's top scorer with seven goals to his name. As for the most appearances, Egypt's Hussein El-Shahat has broken the record for most games played, where the Al-Ahly winger's cameo in the last edition of the competition marked his 12th appearance in the event, eclipsing his compatriots Mohamed Abou-Trika, Wael Gomaa, and Hossam Ashour. In terms of prize money distribution, the USD one billion would be distributed as follows, with qualification to the quarterfinals earning USD 13.3 million, semifinalists receiving up to 21 million, while the runner-ups will bag USD 30 million as compared to the eventual winners, who would take home some USD 40 million in prize money. The competition has been arranged in a manner where the group stage comprises eight groups of four teams per group playing in a single-game format, whereby the top two teams per group progress to the round of 16, followed by a direct single-match knockout stage from that point all the way to the final. G roup A features Palmeiras from Brazil, Al Ahly from Egypt, Porto from Portugal, and Inter Miami from the US, while Group B sees Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, and Seattle Sounders, with Group C comprising Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, and Benfica. Action in Group D will see Flamengo, Esperance Sportive de Tunisie, Chelsea, and León, while Group E features River Plate from Argentina, Urawa Red Diamonds from Japan, Monterrey, and Inter Milan, where Group F will have Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, and Ulsan.
