Pep Guardiola admits he is concerned about the potential toll the expanded Club World Cup could take on his Manchester City squad, although he did go on to admit a sense of pride in competing.
City are set to face Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia on Monday in their first step toward potentially reaching the final. The squad has already been in the United States for over two weeks, and should they go all the way, the trip could stretch close to a full month.
With the 2025-26 Premier League season beginning on August 15, Guardiola admitted he’s unsure what impact the extended summer campaign will have on his players.
“After this, let’s see what happens,” said Guardiola. “Let’s see what happens after the final. We can rest and take the time that the Premier League has allowed us to rest and then we will see.
“Maybe in November, December or January, it will be a disaster, we are exhausted and the World Cup has destroyed us. I don’t know, but it’s the first time in our lives that this has happened.
“Mentally, I think in the past the players have played in World Cups or European Championships for their national teams, so it happens sometimes. You need a rest mentally sometimes, you can recover and then we will see when we come back.”
One of the biggest criticisms of the expanded tournament has come from former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who recently called the new format “a pointless competition” and warned it could lead to “injuries like never before.”
Now in a non-coaching role as head of global soccer for Red Bull, Klopp’s warnings echo concerns from others in the game – and Guardiola, though still competing, admitted he saw validity in them.
“The worst idea ever implemented in football.” 🫠
Pep responds to Klopp’s comments about the Club World Cup…#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/KwWovXzMOw
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 30, 2025
“Listen, I fought a lot with Jurgen many, many times,” Guardiola said.
“I know where his idea comes from. His comments [on the Club World Cup] didn’t surprise me a lot. I understand him. I respect him. Now, he’s stepped back from that position [as a manager] and I understand his argument, because I would defend his argument, as well.”
However, Guardiola also hinted that criticism from some quarters might be tinged with jealousy over City’s presence at the event.
“As managers, we don’t organise the competitions. Once we are here, we are proud. Many, many teams complain about these competitions because they are not here; otherwise, they might love being here.
“They would have their media and supporters here, and there would be income to be here and they would be happy to be here.
“Of course, it’s not an ideal situation for the manager. Would I love to have two months to prepare for next season? Yes. Would I love to be refreshed for next season? Yes.
“But it is what it is. And we deserve what we have done in the past to be here. Once we are here, let’s do our best possible.”
