RENTON, Wash. — Plenty of tension is swirling around the debut of the FIFA men’s Club World Cup this weekend.

Obed Vargas and his Sounders teammates have tried to not let it tarnish this moment. The teenaged midfielder still feels the same excitement from last December when he watched the tournament’s draft from his phone in his bedroom, praying the Sounders would be grouped with Spain’s Atlético de Madrid — his favorite soccer team since he was nine years old.

The wish materialized. The Sounders kick off CWC group-stage competition against Brazil’s Botafogo on Sunday at Lumen Field, then host Atlético on Thursday. Seattle’s final group match is June 23 against France’s Paris Saint-Germain.

“It means everything,” said Vargas of playing the team whose creed “coraje y corazón” (courage and heart) is the foundation of his soccer mentality. “Just playing against them, seeing the jersey, the crest is going to motivate me. … It’s the only thing I really wanted.”

Lumen Field was retrofitted with natural grass earlier this month to make a pristine setting for the new quadrennial event. But the lead-up at times has been messy and disappointing for the Sounders.

The players believe they’re facing “retaliation” in financial negotiations for protesting the $1 million payout they’ll receive for participating, based on a clause in the collective bargaining agreement between the MLS Players Association and MLS. A record $1 billion is the prize pool for the CWC, where the winner will only play seven matches.

FIFA created a tiered system to distribute money for qualifying in hopes everyone is compensated for jamming more games into an already packed calendar. Most stars begin their vacation now, not another tournament.

As one of the five Concacaf teams, the Sounders will receive $9.55 million. If following the CBA, which was ratified in 2021, owners, led by the Sounders’ Adrian Hanauer, will receive $8.55 million to put into soccer operations, as required by FIFA.

Hanauer lashed out at his players after a league loss in Seattle this month and, according to the MLSPA, a proposed 80-20% split was less than initially planned. Players wore T-shirts that read “Club World Ca$h Grab” on the front and “Fair Share Now” on the back to draw attention to their cause.

“It’s 100 percent a distraction,” Sounders keeper Stefan Frei said of attempts since March to get a new agreement with MLS, which is representing the owners for the three CWC participating teams, including Inter Miami CF and Los Angeles FC.

“We’re exceptionally blessed that we get to do for a living what we do. But we do it for a living,” Frei continued. “You do have to maximize your playing days. We’re trying to do it in a respectful way.”

Controversy aside, the rarefied air of this tournament the Sounders earned their way to breathe features 32 clubs from 20 nations with players representing 81 different countries. The men’s World Cup isn’t even that diverse, according to FIFA.

But then comes the question on how the Sounders will actually perform. The Sounders, who are also dealing with injuries to key players, will be underdogs in all three of their group-stage matches. There’s a healthy amount of skepticism from fans about how Seattle will perform.

“I can’t fault them for it,” Vargas said of few being willing to bet on Seattle. The top two finishers in points from each of the eight groups advance to the Round of 16. “It’s clear, there’s different levels to the game. But we take this as an opportunity to prove those people wrong. … If you ask any players, they’re not nervous to play. We’re just happy and excited. We don’t get this opportunity every day.”

The Sounders qualified by winning the 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup. Frei was named MVP of the tournament. Vargas, then 16, subbed on in the first half of the decisive win against Mexican side Pumas UNAM in the final at Lumen Field.

Seattle remains the only MLS club to win the regional title and still has 10 players from the gameday roster. FIFA determined Miami’s qualification as the 2024 Supporters’ Shield winners and LAFC beat Mexico’s Club América in a play-in match last month to nab the final berth.

The Sounders traveled to Morocco in February 2023 for the previous iteration of the Club World Cup, which was held annually since 2005 and featured six teams and one from the host country.

But it was a short stay at the posh hotel on the North Atlantic Ocean. The Sounders, who played two abbreviated preseason matches, faced Egyptian titan Al Ahly SC in a single-elimination opener.

Sounders defender Alex Roldan conceded the winning goal in the 88th minute. He tried to block a rebound shot, yet it deflected into the net for the 1-0 final.

From the second this year’s CWC draw was completed in December, the Sounders’ Group B was tagged the “Group of Death.” That was before Paris Saint-Germain won the UEFA Champions League title last month by trouncing Italian side Inter Milan, 5-0, in the final.

With the kings of Europe, the group is a wink to FIFA’s original concept. Botafogo is the reigning CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores champion. Atlético qualified as the sixth-best team in UEAFA standings and is an 11-time La Liga champion.

“Last time it was kind of hard,” Sounders midfielder Albert Rusnák said of jumping into a tournament after a two-month break in 2023. “We weren’t in a rhythm; it was almost like preseason. We’re set up way better now for it. We’ve had enough games to know where we’re at and everybody should be up to speed.”

Like multiple teams, the Sounders are managing injuries. Jordan Morris, the club’s all-time leading goal scorer, is questionable due to a hamstring injury. Center back Kim Kee-hee (calf) returned to training after suffering an injury last month but top defender Yeimar is out for at least a month due to calf injury, a setback from a recent hamstring issue.

“Besides the fact that all of this is going on, it’s still an incredible opportunity for us to be involved in such a competitive tournament,” Roldan said.

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