The World Association of Football Leagues and the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) have called on FIFA to revise the calendar for the new Club World Cup in 2025 under threat of legal action.
In a letter addressed to FIFA president Gianni Infantino dated May 2 and seen by AFP today, the leagues and FIFPro claim that the football competition calendar is now “beyond saturation”.
The future Club World Cup, which will feature 32 teams including Benfica and Porto, will take place from June 15 to July 13, 2025.
Signatories of the appeal believe that these changes to the calendar have caused “economic harm” to domestic leagues and pushed players “beyond their capabilities”, so they are asking the FIFA Council to postpone the Club World Cup and reopen discussions on the international World Cup calendar. period until 2030.
“If FIFA refuses to formally commit to addressing the above issues at its next Council, we will be forced to advise our members on the options available to them, both individually and collectively, to actively protect their interests,” both organizations warn. letter sent to Infantino.
These options include, according to the same interlocutors, legal action against FIFA, for which they will receive advice from a non-football expert.
The leagues and union accuse FIFA of “constantly making unilateral decisions that benefit its own competitions and commercial interests” while “negatively affecting leagues and national players.”