Former Liverpool manager says tournament winners will have risked their players’ welfare the most
Jurgen Klopp has launched a scathing attack on FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup, branding it “pointless” and warning it could have dire consequences for player health.
In a candid interview with Die Welt, the former Liverpool manager – now global football head at Red Bull – said the 32-team summer tournament was “a dangerous burden” on athletes already stretched by overcrowded fixture schedules.
“It’s a pointless competition,” said Klopp. “Whoever wins it will be the worst winner of all time because they’ll have played all summer and then gone straight back into the league. There are people who have never been involved in the day-to-day business of football and are now coming up with ideas.”
The German, who stepped down from Liverpool at the end of the 2023-24 season after a history-defining nine-year tenure, accused decision-makers of prioritising commercial gains over the wellbeing of players.
“It’s too many games,” said Klopp. “I fear next season we will see injuries like never before. If not then, they’ll come during or after the Club World Cup. There’s no real recovery for those involved, neither physically nor mentally.”
The 2025 expanded edition of the Club World Cup was squeezed between the conclusion of domestic seasons and the start of pre-season training for the next campaign. The tournament has already drawn legal challenges from European leagues and players’ unions who argue that FIFA implemented the new format without proper consultation.
