Club World Cup tests U.S. readiness to host next year's mega-event

One year ahead of hosting the FIFA World Cup, the Club World Cup is proving whether the country is fully prepared for soccer's premier tournament.

Two of the most famed soccer teams in the world will square off for the Club World Cup on Sunday, and it’s happening in an unlikely location: New Jersey.

The tournament final at MetLife Stadium between London-based Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain sets the stage for the biggest sporting event in the world next summer. It’s a high-stakes dress rehearsal that could mark the beginning of a watershed year for the sport in the United States.

North America will host the FIFA World Cup next June and July for the first time since 1994 with the economic and logistical implications hard to overstate.

A report from Pitch Marketing Group projects it to be the most lucrative sports tournament ever staged, with revenues for FIFA alone expected to top $10 billion. That’s a bottom line boosted by an increased number of teams for the first time in the tournament’s history from 32 to 48.

For a big-ticket appetizer, enter this summer’s Club World Cup — also hosted in major metro areas like New York, Miami and Los Angeles — which features top club teams like Manchester City and Real Madrid rather than national squads.