The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup wasn’t just a stage for Chelsea’s victory and its jaw-dropping $1 billion prize pool — it was a reality check for what’s coming at the 2026 World Cup. The basics looked good: big names, a newly expanded format, and American cities hoping for a financial windfall. But look closer, and the cracks started to show.
Let’s talk about the weather first. Matches were played in sweltering conditions with temperatures regularly soaring above 32°C, and the humidity making it feel like 38°C. It was so intense that Chelsea star Enzo Fernández called the conditions “very dangerous.” You could see it on the field — players wiped out from the heat, water breaks stretching longer, and teams having to make substitutions not for tactics, but out of worry for player health. It’s not the kind of drama anyone wants in a summer tournament. If this repeats at the 2026 World Cup, player safety will become headline news for all the wrong reasons.
Crowds were another sore spot. Despite all the hype, most stands were disappointingly empty. Blame it on sky-high ticket prices, awkward kickoff times, and storms that pushed games to odd hours. Some matches felt like a distant cousin of the Super Bowl or World Series, not the world’s biggest club football showpiece. When you compare the Club World Cup’s modest turnout to events like the NFL, which easily draws 17.5 million viewers for big games, it’s clear football still has a battle for attention in the U.S. market. MLS matches get 1.74 million on a good day, so FIFA is under pressure to close that gap, fast.
No one can ignore the player fatigue problem that was on full display this year. European powerhouses like Chelsea and Manchester City clocked in a staggering 57 matches across competitions, with Brazilian giants Flamengo and Palmeiras playing over 70 games during their packed seasons. Toss in American MLS teams who were in the thick of their calendar, and you’ve got footballers pushed to the edge. Substitutions became less about fresh legs and more about survival. Warnings came from all sides — FIFPRO, the global players’ union, and outspoken managers like Jürgen Klopp — they say this relentless schedule does more than just threaten performance. It risks injuries that will bleed into the World Cup season, robbing fans of the tournament’s best talents.
The problems didn’t stop on the pitch. Small details, often invisible to fans, turned into big obstacles. Several stadiums had to quickly swap artificial turf for real grass, causing chaos for organizers and confusion in the locker rooms. International travel led to immigration hiccups for players and staff, slowing everything down. Getting around wasn’t easy either — U.S. transport networks groaned under the pressure, with teams facing delays that ate into training and recovery time. All of this needs fixing if the 2026 event wants to run smoothly, especially at places like Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, which is expected to play a big part and is banking on a $770 million boost to the city’s economy.
Despite all these hurdles, FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino called the Club World Cup ‘a success,’ but the dissent is growing louder about calendar congestion and the real strain on everyone involved. The lesson? If FIFA, city officials, and U.S. organizers don’t address the weather, scheduling chaos, and worn-out players, they’re setting themselves up for the same — or worse — next year. The time to act is now, before football’s global focus lands squarely on American soil in 2026.
Written by Zimkita Khayone Mvunge
View all posts by: Zimkita Khayone Mvunge