It was not the guest list but those who organised this VVIP event that prove more significant for the immediate direction of the future game, however, as two agencies with increasing clout in football got the big names together.
Danny Sillman, the chief executive of Relevant Sports, and Michael Rubin, founder of Fanatics, were the invitees to “a private event with the most important leaders, entertainers and football club owners”.
Last year, Uefa awarded Relevent global commercial rights to its men’s club competitions from 2027. Insiders in the game suggest the US company could now be drafted in by Fifa to sell Club World Cup rights in a deal which may raise eyebrows in European football, especially after Uefa’s attack on Fifa for “crossing a line” during the Balogun scandal.
Merchandise giant Fanatics, meanwhile, hosted the event at a dining hall spin-off of Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club in Brooklyn.
It was arranged to coincide with Fanatics Fest 2026 on Manhattan, where Lionel Messi was among those who later joined an unconventional press conference for the final teams in which fans who had bought tickets for the day could attend.