Fifa has unveiled the format of the new Club World Cup which will see the light of day in the summer of 2025. A competition with 32 participants, which will last four weeks. Enough to extend the already dense season a little further.
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Fifa has announced the establishment of a new Club World Cup in June 2025 in which Paris Saint-Germain and other European clubs such as Manchester City or Real Madrid are guaranteed to participate. The competition will take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025 and will bring together 32 teams divided into eight groups. The group phase will be followed by a final phase which will begin with the round of 16.
The competition will bring together clubs from each of the six international confederations: CAF (Africa) will have four teams, like AFC (Asia) and Concacaf (North America), Uefa (Europe) will have twelve places, Conmebol ( South America) six and OFC (Oceania) one team. The Club World Cup is intended to complete Fifa’s (already) plethoric offering. Which once again raises the question of the health of the players with seasons that never end.
“ More matches, more competitions, again and again to the detriment of those mainly concerned »
In an interview given to ParisianDavid Terrier, the boss of FIFPro Europe, which represents the interests of players, speaks of a “ new drift » about this new competition that the boss of Fifa, Gianni Infantino considers as an event “ major “. According to him, it is “ a suitable stage to shine at the highest level “.
“ There is some irritation of course, but it’s not a surprise. This demonstrates how football is systematically managed. More matches, more competitions, again and again to the detriment of those mainly concerned and without consultation with them. It’s the players who make the matches, right? I think we tend to forget that. The schedule was already overloaded. This is the straw that breaks the camel’s back », comments David Terrier. And to add: “ You only need to look at a few studies on the physical health of players to see that something is wrong. The number of injuries, and their severity, has increased considerably since the 2022 World Cup. The calculation is quite simple. With this Club World Cup, we will increase to almost 80 matches per season. According to doctors, this is just not possible for a normally constituted body. And there, the supporters will understand because they will be deprived of their best players, absent due to injury or simply not at 100%. »
Mental wear and tear?
Apart from injuries, another problem arises: mental wear and tear. But few players spoke out to explain their feelings. The French world champion, Raphaël Varane, who ended his international career at the age of 29, told Canal + that he had the impression of “ to choke » and that the player was “ eat the man “. In 2021, Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper of the Belgium team, criticized the pace imposed on the players and the lack of rest on the sidelines of the match for third place in the Nations League against Italy organized by UEFA . “ Next year (2022), we will play the World Cup in Novemberhe declared the goalkeeper at the microphone of Sky Sports. We will get injured, no one worries about the players. In June, after a long season, we have to play three matches in the Nations League. We will have two weeks of vacation and that is not enough for the high level players. We never say anything, and it’s always the same thing. »
A few months ago, the idea of a World Cup every two years was mentioned by Gianni Infantino. The world football body had put discussions concerning this project on the shelf. Many national leagues had positioned themselves against this idea.