The Premier League has publicly stated that Manchester City and Chelsea will not receive a postponed start to next season if they reach the Club World Cup final. Both teams qualified for this revamped FIFA tournament due to their Champions League achievements over the past four years, and they will compete in a new format featuring 32 global teams at the end of the regular season. However, with the final scheduled less than five weeks before the Premier League kicks off—and even closer before the Community Shield—there are concerns about player burnout before the new season, leaving insufficient time for rest, recovery, and preseason preparation. In October, Pep Guardiola mentioned that the club had requested extra time between the end of one competition and the start of the next, but the Premier League denied the request. Tony Scholes, the league’s chief football officer, clarified the reason for not providing any flexibility. “We have reviewed the situation,” he stated to the press. “This is being forced upon us, especially by FIFA, leading to the argument of why we should modify our competition when we have been saddled with one we do not support. The more important factor is that we really can’t; the schedule is already tightly packed, and we cannot postpone the season’s start any further.” City will face Wydad Casablanca, Al Ain, and Juventus in their group for the Club World Cup, and they are optimistic about having a more complete squad. This should help them compete fully, especially considering that injuries have severely impacted their pursuit of the Premier League title and posed a threat to their progress in the Champions League.
