Klopp Slams FIFA’s Club World Cup Expansion as ‘Worst Idea Ever,’ Warns of Player Injury Crisis
He asserted that decision-making by those “who have never had anything to do with day‑to‑day business” in football is exacerbating fixture overload and putting player welfare at risk .
Former Liverpool Manager Jurgen Klopp. Photo/Getty Images.
By Robert Assad
Former Liverpool and current Red Bull Global Sports Director Jürgen Klopp delivered a scathing critique of FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup format, calling it “the worst idea ever implemented in football.”
He asserted that decision-making by those “who have never had anything to do with day‑to‑day business” in football is exacerbating fixture overload and putting player welfare at risk .
Speaking to German outlet Die Welt, Klopp warned that the congested calendar—following the Champions League final and overlapping with other tournaments—provides little opportunity for players to recuperate physically or mentally .
“A player in the NBA … has four months off every year. Virgil van Dijk hasn’t even had that in his entire career,” he noted, contrasting football’s relentless scheduling with the more balanced workload of American pro athletes .Klopp cautioned that without adequate off‑season breaks, “players will suffer injuries they’ve never had before.
If not this season, then it will happen at the World Cup or afterwards” . He emphasized that top-tier players are expected to perform at their best “70 or 75 times a year,” and that fatigue undermines both performance and the sport’s overall market appeal .
The new tournament features 32 teams playing through July 13 in the United States—beginning only two weeks after the Champions League final—and delays the start of domestic seasons, with clubs like Manchester City and Chelsea pausing summer rest before resuming Premier League play in mid-August.
Klopp argued the schedule “brutal,” recalling a time he managed a two-and-a-half‑week preseason before enduring near three‑day intervals between matches throughout the season.
Industry bodies such as FIFPRO and the World Leagues Forum, as well as national leagues like La Liga, have also voiced opposition to the calendar overhaul, citing player fatigue and potential legal challenges to FIFA’s format.
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