The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is drawing near, and the European clubs involved are already adjusting their strategies for this new summer competition. Set to take place in the United States a year before the 2026 World Cup (also partly hosted there), the tournament is significantly altering how major clubs are planning not only for the summer break but also for the entire 2025-26 season. The schedule leaves very little downtime between the end of the Club World Cup and the commencement of pre-season activities. Below are the 12 European teams participating in the event:
- Chelsea
- Manchester City
- Real Madrid
- Atletico Madrid
- Bayern Munich
- Borussia Dortmund
- Inter
- Juventus
- PSG
- Porto
- Benfica
- RB Salzburg
Early Moves by Clubs
Among the dozen participating clubs, Real Madrid appears to be making the most substantial early preparations. Reports indicate the Spanish giants have already finalized deals for Liverpool`s full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who will be available when his contract expires at the end of June, and Bournemouth`s center-back Dean Huijsen. Furthermore, Real Madrid has opted to appoint Xabi Alonso as their new head coach before the Club World Cup begins, as Carlo Ancelotti is set to transition to a new role with Brazil starting May 26th. The club`s decision to make this coaching change immediately, rather than waiting until the traditional summer period like many others, aims to kickstart the new cycle under Alonso without delay. The primary motivation for this early transition is to use the tournament period to begin implementing his strategic vision, compensating for the reduced pre-season time when some players will be recuperating before the 2025-26 campaign.
Waiting Until After the Tournament
Conversely, some clubs are choosing to postpone significant changes until the tournament concludes. Juventus is one such instance; the Italian club is widely expected to appoint a new permanent manager following the temporary tenure of Igor Tudor, who replaced Thiago Motta in March until the current season`s end. However, the situation post-Club World Cup remains uncertain, with increasing speculation about a possible return for current Napoli manager Antonio Conte starting in July. If Conte does rejoin the club where he previously served as both captain and manager from 2011 to 2014, his work would commence with pre-season in July, mere days after the FIFA Club World Cup final takes place at MetLife Stadium on July 13th.
An Extra Transfer Window
All clubs, including those like Real Madrid and Juventus, will face considerable impact from the overall schedule and upcoming tournaments. For example, both PSG and Inter are slated to play in the Champions League final on May 31st, just two weeks before the Club World Cup starts in the United States. Compounding this, many of their players will be engaged in national team fixtures, such as 2026 World Cup qualifiers, during the first week of June. Consequently, managers may not have their full squads available until the week immediately preceding the Club World Cup. To address the issue of player contracts expiring on June 30th, which falls mid-tournament, most leagues are planning to introduce an early summer transfer window specifically during the first ten days of June. This will allow teams to manage player movements affected by the tournament schedule.
Taking Trent Alexander-Arnold as an example, his contract with Liverpool expires on June 30th. Thanks to this proposed early window, he could potentially complete his transfer to Real Madrid a month sooner, enabling him to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup as a player for the Spanish side. It is evident that this new structure presents unprecedented situations for most teams, and the full ramifications for the 2025-26 season are yet unknown. The compressed schedule means teams will have less time to rest and recover before the start of a season that leads directly into the 2026 World Cup.
