Players are getting treated like cattle
In Qatar, FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced an expanded 32-team Club World Cup set for 2025 and left open the question of how 48 nations will be grouped in 2026 — decisions that place football's governing body at the center of an old and unresolved tension between institutional ambition and the human limits of those who play the game. The moves signal FIFA's intent to reshape the global football calendar in its own image, generating new revenue streams while the leagues, clubs, and players who sustain the sport warn that the cost may be paid in exhaustion and injury. History suggests that money will have the final word, but the resistance this time is organized, vocal, and not easily dismissed.
- FIFA's surprise announcement of a 32-team Club World Cup in 2025 lands like a stone in still water, sending ripples of alarm through European leagues already stretched to their limits.
- The 2026 World Cup group stage format remains unresolved — a choice between 16 groups of three or 12 groups of four — leaving clubs and broadcasters unable to plan around a tournament less than four years away.
- The World Leagues Forum and prominent voices like Jamie Carragher have responded with rare unified fury, accusing FIFA of making unilateral decisions that treat players as commodities rather than people.
- The Premier League is holding its ground, demanding genuine consultation before accepting any calendar changes, while privately acknowledging that FIFA's control over international windows limits its leverage.
- Infantino's financial argument is blunt: prize money large enough may ultimately silence the critics, and FIFA's $11 billion revenue forecast — not yet counting Club World Cup earnings — suggests the incentives will be substantial.
- The coming months will test whether football's power structures can negotiate a workable compromise or whether FIFA will simply impose its vision on a sport too commercially entangled to refuse.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino used the Qatar World Cup as a stage to announce a sweeping reshaping of club football: a 32-team Club World Cup launching in summer 2025, structured like the World Cup itself but populated by the planet's elite clubs rather than nations. The tournament, replacing the Confederations Cup slot and held every four years, expands on a 24-team format that was cancelled during the pandemic. The United States — already set to co-host the 2026 World Cup — is the likely venue, though nothing is confirmed.
Infantino also signaled that the 2026 World Cup group stage format remains open. FIFA had approved 16 groups of three teams, but after Qatar's eight groups of four delivered dramatic, uncertain finishes, the president acknowledged a possible return to 12 groups of four. The FIFA Council will revisit the question in upcoming meetings.
The reaction from European football was immediate and sharp. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher called the Club World Cup 'ridiculous' and urged clubs to boycott, while the World Leagues Forum issued a formal condemnation, arguing that decisions affecting leagues, clubs, players, and fans had been made without consulting any of them. Concerns centered on fixture congestion, injury risk, and the competitive damage to domestic competitions — burdens that would fall hardest on clubs outside the elite tier.
The Premier League, yet to receive formal proposals, said it expects meaningful dialogue before any changes take effect. The tension is structural: FIFA controls the international calendar, but the clubs and leagues that employ players have real stakes in how that calendar is arranged.
Infantino's underlying logic is financial. FIFA's revenue depends heavily on the World Cup cycle, and a club competition of comparable scale could generate enormous new income — the $11 billion forecast for the next four-year period doesn't yet account for Club World Cup earnings. The unspoken assumption is that sufficient prize money will eventually bring resistant clubs into line.
FIFA also approved new Football Agent Regulations and restructured the international match calendar from 2025, consolidating September and October windows into a single extended break. Infantino additionally confirmed he will seek a third full term as president, potentially extending his tenure to 2031. The months ahead will determine whether football's institutions can negotiate a shared path forward — or whether FIFA's institutional power simply forecloses the debate.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino stood before the press in Qatar and announced a decision that will reshape club football for the next decade: a 32-team Club World Cup beginning in the summer of 2025, structured like the World Cup itself but with the planet's elite clubs instead of nations. The tournament, which will take place every four years in a slot that would otherwise host the Confederations Cup, represents a significant expansion from the 24-team format originally planned for 2021 before the pandemic forced cancellation.
Infantino framed the move as a natural evolution of FIFA's portfolio. The organization, he argued, had been the only major international football body to cancel rather than reschedule a competition during the pandemic, and this new Club World Cup would help recoup that lost opportunity. He emphasized that the best teams from every confederation would be invited, creating a truly global club championship. The location remains undecided, though early indications suggest the United States, which will host the 2026 World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, could be the venue.
But the Club World Cup announcement was only part of Infantino's broader calendar overhaul. He also signaled that the format for the 2026 World Cup—which will expand to 48 teams—remains unsettled. FIFA had previously approved 16 groups of three teams, with the top two advancing to a 32-team knockout stage. Yet after witnessing the drama of Qatar's group stage, where eight groups of four teams produced nail-biting finishes and genuine uncertainty until the final whistle, Infantino acknowledged the possibility of reverting to 12 groups of four. The decision will be revisited in upcoming FIFA Council meetings.
The reaction from European football was swift and skeptical. Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender now a Sky Sports analyst, called the Club World Cup "ridiculous" and urged European clubs to boycott it, arguing that players were being "treated like cattle" under an already bloated calendar. The World Leagues Forum—representing professional football leagues globally—issued a formal statement condemning FIFA's unilateral approach. They noted that the decisions had been made without consulting the leagues, clubs, players, or fans who would bear the consequences. The forum warned of fixture congestion, increased injury risk, and competitive imbalance, particularly since the expanded calendar would primarily benefit the top 1 percent of players while straining domestic competitions.
The Premier League, which has not yet received formal proposals from FIFA, signaled it expects meaningful consultation before any changes take effect. The league is open to engagement but insists on agreements that protect domestic competition and player welfare. This stance reflects a broader tension: FIFA controls the international calendar and can largely dictate when matches occur, yet the leagues and clubs that employ players have legitimate concerns about burnout and injury.
Infantino's financial logic is transparent. FIFA's revenue is heavily dependent on the World Cup, which occurs only every four years. A new club competition modeled on the World Cup could generate substantial revenue—the FIFA president noted that the $11 billion forecast for the next four years does not even account for the Club World Cup's potential earnings. While European clubs and managers have publicly opposed the expansion, Infantino suggested that sufficient prize money might change their calculus. The unspoken reality is that financial incentives often override stated principles in professional football.
Beyond these two major announcements, FIFA also approved new Football Agent Regulations designed to introduce licensing requirements, prevent conflicts of interest through multiple representation restrictions, and cap commissions. The international match calendar itself will be restructured from 2025, consolidating September and October windows into one extended break spanning four matches in late September and early October, while maintaining separate windows in November, March, and June. Infantino also confirmed his intention to seek a third full term as FIFA president, which would keep him in office until 2031—a 15-year tenure if approved.
The Club World Cup expansion and the unresolved 2026 World Cup format question now sit at the center of football's governance debate. FIFA has the power to impose these changes, but the resistance from leagues and clubs suggests the next few months will involve significant negotiation over how—and whether—the calendar can absorb this additional burden without compromising the sport's foundational competitions or the health of its players.
Notable Quotes
Players need rest at some point, they are getting treated like cattle. FIFA hate the Champions League and want something similar themselves. European clubs should boycott it.— Jamie Carragher, Sky Sports analyst
These decisions have been made unilaterally without consulting, let alone agreeing, with those who are directly affected by them: the leagues, their member clubs, the players and fans.— World Leagues Forum statement
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does FIFA need another club competition when the Champions League already exists?
FIFA doesn't own the Champions League—UEFA does. That's the core issue. FIFA wants a competition that generates revenue directly for FIFA, not for the continental confederations. A 32-team Club World Cup every four years, positioned as the pinnacle of club football, could rival the Champions League in prestige and attract massive broadcast deals.
But won't this just exhaust players even more?
Absolutely. That's why the leagues are so angry. You're already asking elite players to compete in domestic leagues, domestic cups, continental competitions, and international matches. Adding a month-long tournament every four years means more games, more travel, more injury risk. The players themselves have no seat at the table.
Could money actually make European clubs accept this?
Almost certainly. If FIFA offers enough prize money—and they've signaled they will—the financial calculus changes. A club's board might face pressure from fans and managers to reject it on principle, but if participation means tens of millions in revenue, resistance crumbles. That's the unspoken deal.
What about the 2026 World Cup format flip-flopping?
Qatar showed that four-team groups create drama until the final minute. But 16 groups of three, as originally planned, would mean some teams play fewer matches and have less chance to recover. Infantino is genuinely torn because both formats have merit. The problem is he's deciding this in a vacuum, without input from the leagues who have to manage the fallout.
Is there any scenario where this doesn't happen?
Not really. FIFA has the authority. The leagues can complain and demand consultation, but they can't stop it. What they might negotiate is timing—maybe the Club World Cup doesn't happen in 2025, or maybe the calendar gets restructured to create more breathing room. But the tournament itself is coming.