More Games, Less Rest – Is the Club World Cup Extension Hurting Players?

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is officially underway in the United States—and with it, the questions surrounding player welfare have moved from hypothetical to urgent. With the tournament expanded to 32 teams for the first time, players are once again at the centre of a calendar that appears more congested than ever.

This inaugural edition of the new-look Club World Cup will span a full month, from 15 June to 13 July, and comes directly after a draining domestic and European season for many of the participating clubs. Now that the tournament has begun, the early signs are not encouraging: blowout scorelines, injury concerns, and matches being played in stifling conditions are already fuelling fears that the expanded format is taking a heavy toll.

The FIFA Club World Cup has had some huge winners in the past 😳🏆 pic.twitter.com/XOLx4wHjrz

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) June 13, 2025

A Bloated Calendar, a Growing Risk

Modern elite footballers now face a relentless year-round schedule. Between league fixtures, domestic cups, European competition, and international duty, the off-season has become virtually non-existent for many top-level players. The expanded Club World Cup has simply added more high-stakes games to a period that traditionally offered recovery time.

In this revamped format, teams are required to play three group matches in just over a week—placing immediate physical strain on players already fatigued from a full season. Bayern Munich’s 10–0 dismantling of Auckland City in their opening game may have made headlines, but it also highlighted the physical mismatch and the early-stage intensity demanded of elite squads.

Chelsea, fresh off a long Premier League campaign, were forced to rotate heavily in their 2–0 win over LAFC to manage player workloads. Moisés Caicedo was visibly cramping late in the second half, and several first-team regulars were rested entirely. These aren’t isolated cases—they’re symptoms of a schedule that offers no let-up.

Let the games begin. 🗓️😍#FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/P2KucitVh0

— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 14, 2025

Heat, Travel, and Minimal Recovery

Another challenge has been the environmental conditions. Fixtures are being played across various American cities, with some venues seeing temperatures soar above 30°C. PSG’s 4–0 win over Atlético Madrid in Pasadena required cooling breaks due to intense midday heat—a risk factor in itself for player health.

Add in extensive travel between venues, short turnarounds, and high-intensity demands, and the risk of muscular injuries and burnout is sharply increased. According to FIFPRO, players with fewer than five days of recovery between matches are significantly more likely to suffer soft tissue injuries. The current tournament schedule has largely ignored this data.

A Chorus of Concern

Global players' union FIFPRO has consistently opposed the expansion. In a strongly worded statement, the union described the calendar as “unsustainable” and warned of “extreme pressures that put players at increased risk of injury, mental health challenges, and shortened careers.”

Those concerns have only intensified since the tournament kicked off. Several clubs, including Manchester City and Real Madrid, expressed frustration over the lack of adequate rest between the end of the domestic season and their opening Club World Cup fixtures.

Even within the games, the signs are visible. Boca Juniors’ veteran midfielder Ander Herrera received a red card following a heated incident in their 2–2 draw with Benfica—possibly a reflection of the physical and emotional fatigue building up under tournament conditions.

FIFA’s Vision vs Football’s Reality

FIFA, for its part, has defended the tournament as a step toward growing the global club game. President Gianni Infantino has spoken of “creating a true World Cup for clubs” and delivering commercial benefits and new global audiences.

But that vision is being met with growing scepticism. Stadiums have not always been full—Chelsea’s match against LAFC drew just over 22,000 fans in a venue built for 75,000—and the competitive imbalance has led to scorelines that do little to showcase the best of the game.

The reality on the pitch and in the stands seems to contrast sharply with the glossy, global narrative being pushed from the top.

𝗖𝗟𝗨𝗕 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗖𝗨𝗣 𝗔𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦 ❌

So far the FIFA Club World Cup has an average attendance of 54% across the first 12 games. 📉

Ulsan HD vs Mamelodi Sundowns had just 3,412 fans come through the gates, making it the lowest attended game of the FIFA Club World… pic.twitter.com/fDw1JtMj3E

— Sahil Ebrahim (@sahil_e_) June 18, 2025

The Cost Of More

The early stages of the 2025 Club World Cup have laid bare the cost of football’s ever-expanding calendar. While the competition offers prestige and financial incentive for clubs, it continues a dangerous trend of quantity over quality.

Players are being asked to give more without getting the rest and recovery that elite performance requires. And while fans enjoy seeing their clubs on the global stage, the long-term impact on player health, match quality, and even career longevity cannot be ignored.

If football continues down this path—adding tournaments, squeezing rest windows, and placing commercial goals above welfare—it’s the players, and ultimately the game itself, that will suffer.

Mamelodi Sundowns 🇿🇦 beat Ulsan HD 🇰🇷 1-0 at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

They are the first African team to win a game at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

They received $9.5 million for participating in the tournament and $2 million for winning the game. pic.twitter.com/hJHycCyNCO

— Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) June 18, 2025