Developments in the United States give a major indication about Stan and Josh Kroenke are planning behind the scenes at Arsenal.
Stan Kroenke took full control of the Gunners in 2018 but has since taken a backseat role, delegating operational responsibilities to son Josh.
The family’s Kroenke Sports and Entertainment group commands assets of over £10bn, making them the second-richest sports ownership group in the world.
Most of that value is located in the United States, where Kroenke owns American football, ice hockey, basketball and MLS franchises.
And the latest news across the pond gives a real clue about Kroenke’s strategy for Arsenal going forward.
Kroenkes want Arsenal games abroad
One of the most controversial episodes in KSE’s history came in 2016, when the company’s NFL side St Louis Rams relocated to Los Angeles.
That project yielded impressive sporting results, with the LA Rams, as they subsequently became known, winning the Super Bowl in 2022.
Kroenke also helped finance the £4.3bn construction of the world-class LA Rams home ground, the SoFi Stadium, where Arsenal will play Man United in a friendly later this summer.
But in St Louis, the move did not go down well, especially given the resources the local authorities pumped into trying to keep the franchise in the city.
As reported by local outlet Griffon News, a review into the failed attempt to keep the Rams in Kroenke’s home state of Missouri.
The city eventually reached a £625m settlement with the NFL after the Rams left.
The scale of the costs involved show just how desperate Kroenke was to move the franchise when he spied a better commercial opportunity.
And, significantly, the 76-year-old wants to do the same at Arsenal.
Not a total relocation, which would likely be blocked by the incoming independent regulator, but rather a gradual movement to playing more matches in the United States and beyond.
The expanded 32-team Club World Cup, for example, has the full support of Arsenal. And, while the European Super League failed, Kroenke was a key advocate.
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How much could Arsenal earn from Club World Cup?
Initially, it was believed thatany team going all the way in the expanded Club World Cup could earn as much as £84m in prize money.
That cash would be transformative for the likes of Arsenal. It’s almost as much as Mikel Arteta‘s side earned in the Champions League in total last season.
However, FIFA appears to have overestimated how much it could bank for the TV rights for the tournament.
Talks with Apple about a streaming deal have stalled, meaning football’s world governing body has had to go back to clubs to see if they would play for a more modest fee.
Arsenal are not due to play in the inaugural version of the tournament next year, with Man City and Chelsea being England’s representatives.
But with their renaissance on the pitch in recent years, they would expect to generate cash from the Club World Cup in future iterations of the quadrennial event.