Winners of Club World Cup will be ‘worst of all time’, says Jürgen Klopp

The former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has criticised the introduction of the expanded Club World Cup format. In an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, Klopp said the tournament would put more strain on an already packed calendar for the players. The expanded format features a 32-team event held every four years in the summers between major international tournaments.

“It’s a pointless competition,” he said. “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. There are people who have never been involved in the day-to-day business of football and are now coming up with ideas.“

Klopp pointed out that today’s players are getting less and less time to rest, warning that adding another tournament was potentially dangerous for their health. “It’s too many games. I fear next season we will see injuries like never before,” he said. “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.“

Klopp, who ended his highly successful nine-year stint with Liverpool in 2024, is now head of global football for Red Bull, the owners of several clubs including RB Leipzig and New York Red Bulls. Red Bull Salzburg exited at the group stage of the Club World Cup on Thursday.

Klopp was also asked if he would like to coach again. “I don’t want that any more. I have a job now that fulfils me and is also intense. I don’t sleep in the morning and I don’t go to bed later at night, but I can organise my work much better,” he said.

Click here to read article