The inaugural 32-team edition of the tournament faced criticism leading up to the event for placing excessive demands on elite players and has been conducted in sweltering heat in the United States, raising health concerns for participants.

There were also questions regarding the level of fan interest in the competition; however, Infantino expressed satisfaction with match attendance - even though many games were not sold out - and claimed it had achieved significant financial success.

"The golden era of club football has begun. We can certainly say this FIFA Club World Cup has been an enormous success," Infantino told reporters at Trump Tower on New York City's Fifth Avenue, where FIFA has recently opened an office.

"We were told it wouldn't be financially viable, that no one would be interested, but I can confirm we generated nearly 2.1 billion dollars in revenue from 63 matches," he stated.

"That averages out to $33 million per match - no other club competition in the world comes close.

"It is already the most successful club competition in the world."

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been a prominent critic of the tournament, labeling it "the worst idea ever implemented in football" during a recent interview.

However, the head of world football's governing body dismissed claims that Klopp might represent the majority opinion in Europe.

"We shouldn't assert that the European perspective on this is overwhelmingly negative because that is not accurate," said Infantino, who was sharing the stage with several football legends, including Brazilian Ronaldo.

"All the teams that have participated have been pleased - some teams that did not qualify were reaching out to us to inquire about how they could qualify.

"Naturally, I would have liked to see Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona, Tottenham, AC Milan, Napoli... here, but qualification criteria must be met."

The next Club World Cup is scheduled for 2029, with Infantino not committing to whether the tournament could be held every two years or expanded to include more teams.

"We have created something new, something that is here to stay, something that is transforming the landscape of club football," he added.

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