Jurgen Klopp Blasts Expanded Club World Cup as "Worst Idea Ever" Citing Player Welfare Concerns

Klopp Slams Expanded Club World Cup as "Worst Idea Ever"

Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has delivered a scathing critique of the newly expanded Club World Cup, branding it the "worst idea ever" conceived in football.

Speaking to German newspaper Die Welt, Klopp expressed concerns that the tournament would place undue pressure on players already grappling with congested schedules.

The revamped Club World Cup will feature 32 teams and take place every four years during the preseason, slotted in between major international competitions.

"It's a pointless competition," Klopp stated. "Whoever wins it will be the worst winner of all time because they'll have played all summer and then gone straight back into the league."

He continued, "There are people who have never been involved in the day-to-day business of football and are now coming up with ideas."

Klopp emphasized the dwindling rest periods afforded to modern players, cautioning that the addition of another tournament could jeopardize their well-being.

"It's too many games," he warned. "I fear that next season we will see injuries like never before. If not then, they'll come during or after the Club World Cup."

"There's no real recovery for those involved, neither physically nor mentally," he added.

Klopp, who concluded a successful nine-year tenure with Liverpool in 2024, now serves as the head of global soccer for Red Bull, which owns multiple clubs including RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls.

Addressing questions about a potential return to coaching, Klopp stated, "I don't want that anymore. I have a job now that fulfils me and is also intense... but I can organise my work much better."