From Wembley to Wroclaw to the US: The Relentless Journey of Elite Footballers

by Nathan Henley

As fans head up the steps towards the iconic Wembley Stadium in anticipation of their team lifting the FA Cup this summer, few will consider what lies ahead of the final whistle.

This year, Manchester City could once again reach the showpiece final on May 17, but that might be where the real challenge begins. Just under a month later, City are due to participate in the inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, leaving their players with little to no rest.

Chelsea may feel the effects of the congested schedule even more. Should they progress to the UEFA Europa Conference League Final, they’ll be in action on May 28 in Wrocław, Poland. From there, they’ll have just 19 days before their first expected fixture in the Club World Cup, despite uncertainty still surrounding their opponent after Club León was removed from the tournament - read more here.

The situation becomes even more intense for clubs still in contention for the UEFA Champions League. For sides like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and Paris Saint-Germain, the European final is scheduled for May 31. In between that and the Club World Cup comes an international break, during which players such as England and Bayern Munich star Harry Kane could be expected to represent their nations.

With elite players now facing a relentless calendar of domestic, European, international, and now global club competitions, the demands are unprecedented. The fixture list is beginning to look less like a season and more like a never-ending cycle.

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FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup will take place from June 14 to July 13 across several U.S. cities, serving as both a major commercial push and a precursor to the 2026 World Cup. But for players, it adds yet another competition to an already packed schedule. Once the tournament ends, the 2025/26 Premier League season begins just 33 days later on August 16, leaving minimal time for recovery or preparation.

Unlike the World Cup or the Champions League, the Club World Cup lacks the historical prestige and emotional investment among fans. Yet the physical demands are comparable. Elite players could be playing upwards of 70 matches in a single season if their club makes deep runs in multiple competitions.

The increased intensity is already being felt across the game. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola recently said:

“It’s a lot of games. More than 50 games is too much for the players in the season. It’s too much for the human being; the body cannot sustain.”

Injuries, burnout, and declining performance are not hypothetical consequences; they’re already happening. A 2024 FIFPRO report found that over half of elite-level players operate under “critical workload conditions.” Some were recorded playing matches with fewer than five days of rest between fixtures for extended periods, well above the recommended limit.

FIFPRO, along with other players' unions, has launched legal action against FIFA, arguing that the new tournament was introduced without proper consultation and could violate labour laws.

“The gap between those who plan and schedule complex international competitions and those who play and experience them has never been bigger,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO’s Director of Global Policy.

At the heart of the issue is a fundamental conflict between the commercial ambitions of football’s governing bodies and the welfare of the players who drive those ambitions. FIFA sees the expanded Club World Cup as a critical revenue stream, especially with the US market opening up. However, critics argue that every added competition chips away at what makes elite football exciting: quality, unpredictability, and emotion.

With matches becoming more frequent and rest becoming rarer, clubs may soon be forced to make uncomfortable choices.  In the near future, rotating squads, withdrawing players from international friendlies or even prioritising certain competitions over others may become necessary.

There’s also the risk of fan fatigue. While major finals and tournaments draw huge audiences, an overload of fixtures could dilute interest. This has even been shown so far with reportedly low ticket sales showing that even the most commercialised country in the world feels this tournament is too much.

As the final whistle blows at Wembley this May, the celebrations will be real, but so too will the strain. For football’s elite, the summer offers little rest. And for the sport itself, the long-term cost of this relentless pace may be just beginning to show.