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Ulsan set for shot at FIFA Club World Cup’s $1 billion prize pool

Published: 01 Apr. 2025, 14:23 Updated: 01 Apr. 2025, 17:19

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Ulsan HD defender Kim Young-gwon poses with the Club World Cup trophy at Naver 1784 in Seongnam, Gyeonggi on March 6. [YONHAP]

Reigning K League 1 champions Ulsan HD have a shot at a major payday at this year’s revamped FIFA Club World Cup, which features a $1 billion prize pool shared among participating clubs.

The expanded 32-team tournament includes three group-stage matches for each team, followed by single-leg fixtures in the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals and final. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has called it the “biggest-ever prize money for a football tournament” under this seven-game format.

Ulsan are already guaranteed $9.55 million just for qualifying — a massive boost compared to the 500 million won ($341,000) prize for winning the K League 1.

And that’s just the beginning. Ulsan can earn $1 million for each draw and $2 million for each win in the group stage.

The knockout stages offer even greater rewards: $7.5 million for winning the round of 16, $13.125 million for the quarterfinals, $21 million for the semifinals, $30 million for finishing as runners-up and $40 million for winning the tournament.

However, the road ahead won’t be easy. Ulsan, the only K League team in the competition, will be up against global giants such as 15-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid, three-time AFC Champions League winners Urawa Red Diamonds and 12-time Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain.

In Group F, Ulsan must first contend with Brazilian champions Fluminense, German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund and South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in a four-team round-robin format.

Unlike teams whose domestic seasons end in May, Ulsan will carry momentum from their ongoing K League 1 campaign — which runs from February to November — into the Club World Cup, which kicks off on June 14.

The tournament offers Ulsan the chance to prove whether their domestic dominance can translate into success on the world stage.

Despite winning the K League 1 title three times in a row from 2022 to 2024, Ulsan have struggled in the AFC Champions League Elite during the same period — exiting in the group stage in 2022, semifinals in the 2023–24 season and the league stage — the phase before knockouts in the new format — in 2024–25.

Ulsan HD celebrate during a K League 1 match against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on March 1. [YONHAP]

Even an early exit from the Club World Cup would still provide Ulsan with valuable funds to strengthen their squad midseason or ahead of next year.

With the K League summer transfer window typically running from mid-June to the end of July, Ulsan would have time to reinforce their roster after the tournament.

The team will travel to the United States for the group stage, with matches scheduled against Mamelodi Sundowns on June 17, Fluminense on June 21 and Borussia Dortmund on June 25.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]