FIFA has announced teams must arrive at the 2025 Club World Cup at least three days before their first match, giving most players no rest before the tournament kicks off in June.

The tournament is set to kick off on June 15, with an international window concluding just five days beforehand. With the world’s best teams taking part in the competition, the majority of players will just be returning from 2026 World Cup qualifiers and international duty when they are expected to arrive in the United States.

In addition to the short arrival deadline, clubs have also been threatened with fines if they don’t field their strongest teams throughout the tournament.

Next year’s Club World Cup is the first of a new format FIFA is testing, expanding to 32 teams and 63 matches in a month-long tournament. The competition previously took place in December on a much smaller scale, and FIFA has already received backlash from players and fans alike over fixture congestion and injury concerns.

The match schedule is busier than ever. Players are bogged down by league campaigns, cup runs and continental championships even before international duty is added to the mix.

With injuries already mounting at the world’s top clubs, the unrealistic and borderline dangerous expectations for the Club World Cup could be the last straw. Players and managers have already expressed interest in going on strike to protest the fixture calendar.

If FIFA continues to ignore these concerns and opt for expanded tournaments and shorter rest periods, football might be close to reaching its breaking point.