The tournament, in its first edition in the current 32-team format after being created by Infantino, has faced widespread criticism for a variety of reasons.

Global player organisation FIFPro have highlighted the additional demands an expanded tournament will place on players and the negative impact of not having a summer break, with some stars having previously threatened to boycott the competition over workload concerns.

Several games have also been played in front of swathes of empty seats, while the extreme weather of the USA at this time of the year and concerns over whether the $1 billion prize fund will unbalance leagues when teams return home have similarly been noted.

--ChannelAfrica--