AFCON 2025
Jürgen Klopp has launched a scathing criticism of FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup, branding it “the worst idea ever” in modern football.
Speaking to Die Welt, the former Liverpool manager expressed serious concerns about the increasing demands placed on elite footballers, warning that the sport is heading toward a crisis of player welfare and burnout.
The 2025 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup ffeatures 2 teams in a month-long tournament scheduled to take place in the United States next summer.
Klopp, now serving as head of global football for Red Bull, argued that the competition is unnecessary, poorly timed, and dangerous for players’ physical and mental health.
He described the idea as pointless, adding that “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.”
Klopp’s frustration stems largely from the congested football calendar. He pointed out that top players will have had little to no rest over a three-year span, with the 2024 European Championship and Copa América immediately preceding the Club World Cup, followed by the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“I fear next season we will see injuries like never before,” Klopp said, adding that if those injuries don’t come during the Club World Cup, “then it will happen at the World Cup or afterwards.”
Drawing a comparison with other professional sports, Klopp noted that top athletes in the NBA, for example, enjoy longer offseasons to allow for recovery and performance sustainability.
He emphasized that many elite footballers, including Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, have never experienced a proper summer break in recent years due to back-to-back competitions and club obligations.
Despite FIFA’s insistence that the tournament fits into the international match calendar, Klopp believes the decision was made without adequate consideration for those who actually play and manage the game.
“This came from people who have never had anything to do with day-to-day football,” he remarked. “It’s always the players who pay the price.”
Klopp, who stepped down as Liverpool manager at the end of the 2024–25 season, currently oversees football strategy across Red Bull’s global network of clubs. While he remains deeply involved in the game, he has ruled out a return to management for the foreseeable future.
