Overview

• Jurgen Klopp labelled the tournament pointless and warned its congested schedule could trigger unprecedented injury levels among top professionals.
• He criticised FIFA’s format as conceived by people detached from day-to-day football and lacking genuine consultation with players and clubs.
• Kevin de Bruyne echoed recovery-time concerns, noting just three weeks between the Club World Cup final and the Premier League opener.
• Global players’ union FIFPRO has intensified its campaign for a mandatory four-week off-season break to ease calendar congestion.
• The 32-team event in the United States overlaps key domestic and international preparations, prompting broad backlash over fixture overload.