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Mathieu Moreuil, Premier League director of international football relations, says FIFA is ignoring domestic leagues’ complaints of the football calendar becoming over-saturated. (1:53)
LaLiga president Javier Tebas has asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino to cancel the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup because he says that neither the leagues nor the FIFPRO Players’ Union want it.
FIFA’s inaugural Club World Cup will be staged in the United States and is scheduled to run from June 15 to July 13, 2025.
The expansion of UEFA’s club competitions and the Club World Cup means this season will be the longest club campaign ever.
“FIFA president, you know that you have not sold the audiovisual rights for the budget you said for that Club World Cup,” Tebas said, while speaking at the Forum of the European Union of Clubs in Brussels. “You know that you do not have the sponsorships for that Club World Cup as you had budgeted.
“You know that the leagues and the players’ football unions we don’t want that Club World Cup. Withdraw that Club World Cup now.”
Tebas believes FIFA will have to use its own funds to launch the 24-team Club World Cup next year.
He said: “If you are going to use FIFA funds to finance the money that is missing from the promise you have made to the clubs, you are taking it away from all those federations or places that FIFA says it is there to help. We are talking about more of €1.5 billion that will have to be drawn from that fund.”
Players, coaches and leagues have sounded alarm bells over the congested calendar.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri suggested last month that the players are “close” to going on strike because of concerns over their increasing workload.
The Spain midfielder played 63 games for club and country last season in a campaign that didn’t finish until the Euro 2024 final on July 14.
The global players’ union, FIFPRO, and the European Leagues, which represents 37 domestic leagues, jointly filed the complaint at the European Commission in Brussels in which they argue global football’s governing body FIFA is abusing its right as both tournament organiser and regulator.
A source told ESPN that FIFA believes the Club World Cup will have a minimal impact on the football calendar or on player welfare, given it will be held once every four years, featuring a maximum of seven games.
Infantino announced Tuesday that Seattle’s Lumen Field will host six games during the Club World Cup. He was due to meet with local elected officials, representatives of the Seattle Sounders and the National Women’s Soccer League team, the Seattle Reign, as well as leadership for Seattle’s 2026 World Cup organizing committee.
The Seattle Sounders, which earned a spot in the competition by winning the 2022 Concacaf Champions League, will host all three of their group matches at their home stadium.
Seattle has also been picked as a host city for the men’s World Cup in 2026.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
