LAFC and Club América will face off Saturday night with the final ticket to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 on the line. Yet, there's much more at stake than a berth in FIFA's inaugural summer club tournament.
The winner of the one-match playoff game will not only qualify to the Club World Cup, but they'll also receive a minimum of $9.55 million (€8.4 million), the pot allocated by FIFA for every Concacaf team participating in the tournament. Once in the tournament, that sum could potentially grow, with the winner of the summer tournament set to bag $125 million (€110 million) in prize money.
So, BMO Field will witness two MLS and Liga MX powerhouses do battle in what's been described as the most expensive match in North American soccer history.
To put it in perspective, a day after LAFC and Club América face-off, Vancouver Whitecaps and Cruz Azul will meet in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup final. The winner will secure a spot in the 2029 Club World Cup and will bank $5 million (€4.4 million) in prize money—almost half of what LAFC and Club América are set to make if they win their playoff match.
There's been plenty of expectation surrounding the match ever since Club León was disqualified from the Club World Cup for infringing FIFA's multi-ownership rules.
FIFA decided to grant a chance to the team that lost to León in the 2023 Concacaf Champions Cup final (LAFC) and to the team that was ranked the highest in Concacaf's club rankings (Club América), to earn their way into the Club World Cup as León's replacement.
So, only a few hours after the conclusion of the UEFA Champions League final, halfway across the world, LAFC and Club América will meet in one of the most high-stakes games in North American soccer history.
A game that will take the growing MLS vs. Liga MX rivalry to a whole new level.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as LAFC vs. Club America: The Money Behind the Most Expensive Match in North American Soccer History.
