Real Madrid will have a new-look squad for the FIFA Club World Cup this summer after some rapid transfer moves.
Spain international Dean Huijsen has arrived from Premier League side Bournemouth and the La Liga giants finally completed their long-running transfer saga to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The England international has been in talks over a free transfer since the start of 2025 after opting against a contract renewal at Anfield.
The 26-year-old confirmed his intention to leave Liverpool in May with his previous contract on Merseyside running until June 30.
However, Real Madrid’s desire to have him in place for the Club World Cup flight to the USA meant a dramatic round of talks with Liverpool, and a transfer resolution reached.
With FIFA opening the international transfer until June 10, to allow for deals to be completed before the tournament, Los Blancos agreed to pay Liverpool around £10m [$14m] to bring him in a month early.
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Liverpool’s hard-line stance caused frustration in Madrid, but the Premier League giants simply kept their former defender to the terms of his agreement, and secured a fee to allow Trent to feature in the Club World Cup.
The financial rewards on offer at the Club World Cup indicate Real Madrid are confident the balance of paying for Trent will be covered by what they accrue in the USA and former Manchester United star and eight-time EPL winner Gary Neville believes money has made the decision.
Neville has been an outspoken critic of Alexander-Arnold’s defending at Liverpool player and the 50-year-old indicated the pressure of Madrid will be another test for him.
“I was surprised Real Madrid paid ten million for Trent, but there’s one hundred million at stake in the Club World Cup, and they have a good chance of winning it. They didn’t have a true right-back for the tournament. Maybe in a month’s time, it will be money well spent,” he told Sky Sports’ The Overlap.
“I think it’s crazy they’re spending ten million to have a player play five or six games. It’s incredible.”
Real Madrid kick off their Club World Cup campaign against Al Hilal on June 18 in Miami with Trent in line for his club debut.
Club World Cup prize money 2025
The first half of the prize pot, totalling $525m, will be distributed to each club solely for participating in the 2025 Club World Cup.
The pay outs will be distributed in tiers by a “ranking based on sporting and commercial criteria.” Essentially, FIFA is paying clubs for their expected draw at the competition, with the biggest European clubs likely to bring the most attention, eyeballs, and revenue.
Guaranteed participation pot
| Continent | Participation Earnings | No. of Clubs |
| Europe | $12.81m — $38.19m | 12 |
| South America | $15.21m | 6 |
| North America | $9.55m | 5 |
| Asia | $9.55m | 4 |
| Africa | $9.55m | 4 |
| Oceania | $3.58m | 1 |
Performance earnings
A total of $475m has been earmarked for performance bonuses, paid to clubs for how they perform at the competition, regardless of where they hail from.
| Stage | Payout |
| Group stage win | $2m |
| Group stage draw | $1m |
| Round of 16 | $7.5m |
| Quarterfinal | $13.125m |
| Semifinal | $21m |
| Final | $30m |
| Title winner | $10m |
Factoring all these in, the winner of the 2025 Club World Cup could earn up to $87.63m in just performance bonuses, if they win all three of their group stage matches.
Adding in the potential for a top participation winnings too, the biggest European clubs could potentially earn up to $125.82m.
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