CLUB WORLD CUP 2025
Klopp warns FIFA and World Cup clubs: "There will be injuries never seen before"
Published New:28/06/2025 - 19:59h
Updated New:28/06/2025 - 19:59h
Jürgen Klopp harshly criticized FIFA for loading the international calendar with the Club World Cup. For the coach, in 25/26 serious injuries will increase in the participants
FIFA seems very satisfied with the results obtained in its first Club World Cup. Although fans have enjoyed the possibility of seeing more matches between teams from different confederations, for Europeans, the challenge has been enormous due to the burden of matches after a very demanding season.
In this regard, Jürgen Klopp harshly criticized FIFA for creating a tournament that compromises the rest of the players during the summer. Many of the participating teams have played 60 or more matches in 24/25 and will only have three weeks off before starting the new season.
"The Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football. There are people who have never had anything to do with the day-to-day business and are now generating ideas," the German coach began in a chat with the German newspaper 'Die Welt'.
Klopp fears an increase in serious injuries in 25/26
In that sense, the current football director of the Red Bull group expressed his concern for the health of the footballers who participate in the tournament. In the case of South Americans, the World Cup catches them in the middle of the season.
"I fear that next season the players will suffer injuries never seen before. It will happen during or after the tournament. This World Cup is held at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons," added the former Liverpool coach.
In addition, he made it clear that, although the economic benefits for the participants are enormous (each classified team received 31.44 million euros net, in addition to 3.7 'kilos' per victory and 6.95 M€ for advancing to the round of 16.
"I understand those who say that the money to participate is crazy. But that is not the case for all clubs," argued Klopp. In total, the champion of the tournament can take 68.61 million net, around 42 'kilos' less than what UEFA gave this year to PSG for winning the Champions League.
Footballers will reach the limit at the next World Cup, according to Jürgen Klopp
Similarly, Klopp assured that FIFA's idea is to saturate each summer to the maximum, without giving respite to the players of the world elite. "Last year there was Copa América and Euro Cup. This year Club World Cup and next year we have World Cup. This means that there is no real recovery for the players involved, neither physically nor mentally," said Jürgen.
In the four-year cycle that separates each World Cup of national teams, for now there would only be one summer free of continental tournaments (2027). In 2028 there will be Euro Cup, Copa América and Olympic Games again, while in 2029 the Club World Cup will be re-edited.
Therefore, for 2027, FIFA does not rule out recovering the Confederations Cup, a tournament that was last played in 2017, prior to the World Cup in Russia. The tournament would return with a new format, maintaining the number of teams (8), but not the number of matches (16).
- 👉 You can follow the coverage of the Club World Cup 2025 in detail at FCBN
