Boca Juniors lose millions of dollars.

A memorable moment for the semi-professional team at the FIFA Club World Cup. In the early hours of June 25th, Auckland drew 1-1 with Boca Juniors in the final match of Group C, FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.

Being eliminated in the group stage meant the Argentinian representative missed the opportunity to earn millions of dollars in prize money, in a tournament where FIFA offered some of the most attractive prize pools in the world for club teams.

According to FIFA's prize money allocation structure, each win in the group stage is worth $2 million , while a draw is worth $1 million . Boca started with a 2-2 draw against Benfica. They then lost to Bayern Munich and only managed one more draw against Auckland City – a semi-professional team from New Zealand. The result: millions of dollars vanished from the club's coffers.

What's even more regrettable is that if they had advanced from the group stage, simply reaching the round of 16 would have earned Boca Juniors $7.5 million – a huge sum for any South American club, especially given the current financial difficulties facing football in the region. In fact, if you include the group stage prize money and qualification for the knockout rounds, the team could have earned up to $10.5 million simply by… avoiding early elimination.

The road from the group stage to the championship is a journey of opportunity - and Boca has stumbled at the first step. A fall that cost at least $10 million , and even more if they had progressed as far as initially expected.

Cavani couldn't save Boca.

Boca Juniors' failure not only exacerbates the club's financial difficulties but also directly impacts the tournament. With one of the most passionate fan bases in the world, Boca Juniors has always been a magnet for spectators, media, and commercial revenue. A Boca Juniors run far in the tournament would have boosted the Club World Cup. But when they exited too early, those values vanished like smoke.

From a sporting perspective, failing to win a single group stage match – even drawing 1-1 with semi-professional team Auckland City on the morning of June 25th – is a sign that Boca Juniors' internal strength is declining. Financially, it's a major blow to the operating budget of a club already struggling to maintain competitiveness in South America.

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup could be a stepping stone for non-European teams to gain closer access to global funding and fame. But for Boca Juniors, the tournament has become a symbol of a lost golden opportunity. It's not just a defeat on the pitch, but a fall that wiped out millions of dollars – in an era where numbers are sometimes just as important as goals.