Welcome to the richest game in North American soccer history.
LAFC of Major League Soccer and Club América of Mexico’s Liga MX will meet Saturday night (10:30, streaming free on DAZN) in an impromptu one-game playoff with nearly $10 million — and possibly much more — on the line.
The winner will claim the final spot in this summer’s Club World Cup, a star-studded 32-team tournament set to take place from June 14-July 13 in 12 cities across the United States, ending with the semifinals and final at MetLife Stadium.
Each club team from CONCACAF, the region that includes the U.S. and Mexico, is guaranteed $9.55 million for taking part in the tournament via FIFA, the sport’s global governing body.
And then there’s a crack at additional riches from what’s being billed as a $1 billion prize pool for the Club World Cup.
Group stage wins are worth $2 million a pop.
The tournament champion will bank a cool $125 million.
The global field includes European heavyweights such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain; teams from South America, Asia and Australia; and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
“The conversation here is not dominated by the financial benefit here but rather the competitive opportunity that this game and the tournament present,” LAFC general manager John Thorrington said, per the Los Angeles Times.
Saturday’s play-in game came about after Mexico’s Club León was disqualified in March — for sharing ownership with Pachuca, another tournament team — which opened up a spot in Group D alongside Chelsea (England), Flamengo (Brazil) and ES Tunis (Tunisia).
LAFC, the 2022 MLS champions who now feature international star Olivier Giroud, get the benefit of playing this nearly eight-figure showdown at their home field of BMO Stadium — though many from the Los Angeles community among a raucous sold-out crowd of roughly 22,000 will be supporting Club América.
“If you go back to our preseason match against América, it didn’t quite feel like a home game in the normal sense for us,” Thorrington said.
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