Guardiola comments on Man City’s potential taking part in the Club World Cup, likens football to NBA

The crowded international schedule has been a long-standing concern in football, and with the restructured Club World Cup format, criticism has only increased. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola recently voiced his frustration once more, questioning the feasibility of the new schedule.

Details: Guardiola admitted that his team may participate in the later stages of the FIFA Club World Cup, but he emphasized that this would push their total matches for the season to nearly 70—a schedule he likened to the NBA.

Quote: “Maybe we’ll go to the FIFA Club World Cup, get to the later stages... and play almost 70 games! 70 games—that’s like the NBA, yes... but in the NBA, they have a four-month offseason, and we have three weeks!” Guardiola said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.

Reminder: In May, reports suggested that English and Spanish clubs were considering a boycott of the Club World Cup due to the already overloaded football calendar.