Don Garber criticizes the Club World Cup schedule: “I hope they make the right decisions”

The intense fixtures schedule is a topic of daily debate in the soccer world. Many players and coaches have expressed concern about the excessive activity they have with their clubs and national team.

Just days after LaLiga president Javier Tebas called on FIFA president Gianni Infantino to cancel the expanded Club World Cup tournament scheduled to take place next summer, MLS commissioner Don Garber has voiced his own concerns.

Too much soccer too many games

“We have to take into account the calendar and I understand Javier’s views. I think we all have to work to see if we can be more actively involved in the decision-making process, and I would include that in the Club World Cup. As a league, we are as conscious as everyone else of the implications for our players and the different competitions they have to compete in,” Garber said at The Summit, part of London Leaders Week.

Overload in the fixtures calendar

The Club World Cup is scheduled to take place from 15 June to 13 July 2025, when the world’s top leagues have already finished, but it all comes right on the back of a new, expanded Champions League format (from 32 participating clubs to 36) and also just one year before a 48-team World Cup.

LaLiga, FIFPro Europe and the European Leagues have filed a lawsuit against FIFA for abuse of a dominant position due to the introduction of the new Club World Cup, which will take up an entire month in June and July, and which Don Garber believes would be beneficial for footballers if they had the time to rest.

"I read about the lawsuits the other day, but sometimes it takes a little disruption to get everyone to sit at the same table and make the right decisions," added the head of the North American league.