Guardiola claims the Premier League won’t postpone City’s matches following the Club World Cup

According to manager Pep Guardiola, the Premier League will not reschedule Manchester City’s championship games for the 2025–2026 season in order to allow players time to recover from the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

Elite teams are growing more worried about how a growing international football schedule is affecting players’ well-being because several players claim that, despite their big wages, they are experiencing physical strain.

With the Premier League about to begin in August and little time for a vacation, City and Chelsea are the two English clubs competing in the extended month-long Club World Cup, which takes place from June 15 to July 13.

“I think the club asked the league to postpone one or two or three weeks so we can have a holiday after the (Club) World Cup but it is absolutely not allowed,” Guardiola told reporters late on Friday.

“Does the Premier League approve of us? No, not at all… Many thanks for it.”

He made remarks, to which the Premier League did not reply.

August 16 marked the start of its 2024–25 season, which began one month after Spain and England’s Euro final.

According to Guardiola, clubs would find it much harder to control players’ workloads as a result of the larger Club World Cup.

Last month, City midfielder Rodri hinted that players might be on the verge of going on strike during the busy schedule, which also involves an altered Champions League structure.

The ideal number of games for optimal performance, according to Rodri—who is currently sidelined for the season due to a knee ligament injury—was 40–50 every season. However, if his club advanced through all tournaments, they might play as many as 70–80 games.

According to recent reports from the global players’ organization FIFPRO, some players receive less than one day off every week. Due to the Club World Cup, its European member unions have filed a lawsuit against FIFA, the world regulatory body.