Florentino Perez has drastically performed a U-turn on the expanded Club World Cup format championed by FIFA after his Real Madrid side endured one of their most dismal campaigns.
Real Madrid finished the season without major silverware, having crashed out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals, suffering an early Copa Del Rey exit, and slipping to a runner-up finish to Barcelona in La Liga. The abysmal season was epitomized by a string of injury concerns that also plagued some of Real Madrid’s most key stars, including Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois, and Eder Militao.
However, speaking after confirming presidential elections at the club, Perez cited a saturated fixture calendar and the Club World Cup as having led to the collapse of the club.
“The reason is the Club World Cup; this is the origin. We have been unable to recuperate physically because we have played every three days and we haven’t looked after ourselves.
As per Transfermarkt, the Madridistas had sustained 28 separate injuries during the season, and fatigue became an ever more prevalent issue as the season progressed.
Perez’s comments, though, have drawn criticism, given the significant reversal of his position from previously strong public support for FIFA’s competition before its debut in 2025. He was quoted praising the initiative as a stepping stone for football worldwide last summer, having said:
“I fought like hell to make the Club World Cup happen; all the best clubs in the world would be competing.”
The surprising criticism will also create an embarrassing scenario for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who vociferously supported the expanded version as one of football’s elite tournaments. Real Madrid are expected to begin rebuilding for a season that will see them finish trophyless for the second consecutive year, with fixture congestion now becoming an ever-growing issue throughout the European game.
