Sales have been poor. The same tickets for the opening game between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Al Ahly of Egypt sold for £258 each in December were slashed to 16 per cent of that price just last week. Broadcasters have been even less enthusiastic. After the BBC and ITV both declined to air it, DAZN purchased the exclusive rights to all 63 games in a deal worth $1bn which saw it sublicense its coverage to 60 broadcasters worldwide, including Channel 5 in the UK. That was in December, two months before Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns four Saudi Pro League teams including participants Al Hilal, bought a $1bn stake in DAZN. Last week, PIF was announced as an official Club World Cup partner.
