Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber acknowledges the concerns raised by LaLiga chief Javier Tebas regarding FIFA's expanded 32-team Club World Cup, set to take place in the United States next year. Tebas has called for the tournament to be canceled, citing fixture congestion. The new Club World Cup, featuring 12 European clubs, is scheduled to follow an expanded UEFA Champions League season and precede the 48-team World Cup in 2026, hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico. Top players have expressed discontent with the escalating fixture schedule, with some even discussing strike action. European Leagues, FIFPro Europe, and LaLiga have jointly filed a complaint with EU antitrust regulators against FIFA's international match calendar.
Tebas argued in Brussels this week that FIFA's new Club World Cup, lacking sponsorship and broadcast deals, should be scrapped. Garber, while excited about MLS teams competing on the global stage, understands the potential issues with fixture congestion. "I think there's going to be a lot of energy and momentum around building interest in soccer leading up to the World Cup, and the Club World Cup is going to be one of those events," Garber said at The Summit, part of Leaders Week London. "I'm excited that two of my teams are going to be participating." He added, "We all need to be mindful of the calendar, and I understand Javier's views."
The 2025 Club World Cup, scheduled from June 15 to July 13, coincides with Concacaf's Gold Cup, hosted on the Western Coast of the US and Canada. The MLS season will resume afterward, along with European leagues. Garber cautioned about the risk of oversaturation in soccer but suggested that the recent lawsuit in Europe could lead to a more balanced global calendar and increased collaboration between governing bodies and leagues. "Sometimes it takes a little disruption to get everybody to sit at the same table and make the right decisions," Garber said. "I would hope that you make those right decisions based on data, fact, and research, but if not, sometimes you have to be forced to make those decisions."
