How the Club World Cup Might Affect the Teams Involved

The FIFA Club World Cup has not been universally praised, but it has given fans interested in the new format the chance to watch their heroes go up against players from other continents and confederations, while still playing for their domestic clubs. FIFA will no doubt declare it a huge success and pour even more money into the next scheduled event in four years’ time.

With football never really stopping now, there are questions about how these extra games will affect the players and clubs involved. The prize money on offer has silenced most of the criticism from the teams, but it will be interesting to see how they fare over the next 12 months – especially the ones that go far in the competition.

Top athletes are not new to playing more games throughout the year, of course, and the media and the sportsbooks found at Online Sports Betting have been happy to highlight the Club World Cup. But with little time between the end of the competition and many clubs’ pre-seasons, how might these extra games take their toll?

World Football Calendar

It is important to state, first of all, that not all of the clubs taking part in the Club World Cup follow the same calendar. Most of the big leagues do follow FIFA directives and play out their seasons from around August to May each year. But there are some in “summer” leagues and those that have winter breaks incorporated.

It is, perhaps, interesting to note that many of the Brazilian teams have performed better than generally expected at the tournament. These are clubs that already virtually play all year round, thanks to the multiple competitions in that part of the world – so maybe the players are more used to the non-stop nature of the schedule, even if it may not be good for their wellbeing.

Pre-Tournament Plans

Ever since the expanded format of the tournament was announced six years ago, there has been a lot of criticism about the way it might affect those involved. But at least the clubs cannot complain about not having the time to alter their plans. In fact, many of those involved have had markedly different “offseasons” than usual.

Usually, the big European clubs – like the ones involved here – will take weeks and months over the summer, eking out transfer sagas. But Real Madrid were very quick to seal the deal on Trent Alexander-Arnold before the last season even finished. Others, like Chelsea, have signed new players while the tournament has progressed. This might give these forward-thinking teams an advantage at the beginning of next season.

Expanded Rosters

When it comes to large rosters, the EPL’s Chelsea stands out from the rest. In the modern football world, where the wealthiest clubs like to amass huge numbers of players, either by loaning them out or giving them limited game time in minor domestic competitions, buying up talent is nothing new.

The London club has attracted a lot of criticism for the way they spend so freely, but Chelsea may well turn out to be the model for the big clubs who will now have earned millions by competing at the Club World Cup. The argument will be that if there are going to be so many more games each year, the teams need bigger rosters to deal with that. This will also then have a knock-on effect on the teams not involved, who will struggle recruiting from a smaller pool of talent.

Injuries and Burnout

One of the biggest criticisms of the new, expanded Club World Cup – even from some of the teams involved – is that FIFA has prioritized money and profit over player welfare. The extra games, at a time when the players are usually enjoying a well-earned rest, will ultimately take their toll as the next season progresses.

When the 2022 World Cup was moved to the middle of the FIFA season to combat the intense heat and conditions of Qatar, it resulted in more injuries and player burnout over the following months – and that is likely to be repeated now. Players have benefited from drinks breaks during games at the tournament but the longer-lasting effects will surely affect league campaigns.

Positive Takeaways

During the earlier stages of the tournament, Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola stated that the extra games could “destroy” his team’s chances of competing in the EPL next season. Other high-profile figures agreed with his summation. But there are other ways some teams might even benefit from the competition.

We will see how the upcoming Ligue 1 campaign goes, but Paris Saint-Germain has been one of the standout performers of the Club World Cup and has not looked like tiring, even though it has played more games than any other European team in 2024-25. The positivity that is gained from success could put the players in an even better mental mood going into 2025-26.

Lessons for the Future

It has already been agreed that the next edition of the Club World Cup will take place in four years’ time and follow the same format. Concerns that FIFA would want to stage the competition more frequently seem to be unfounded for now. But football’s governing body probably does need to take some lessons on board.

Player wellbeing should be at the top of the priority list for FIFA and what happens over the next 12 to 24 months should be taken into consideration. It seems unlikely that FIFA will change its mind over the new-look competition but there is no doubt that many of the teams and players will experience vastly different upcoming seasons than usual thanks to their involvement.