Manchester: Chelsea suffered a 44% spike in injuries after competing in the supersized Club World Cup this year, according to findings published on Tuesday.
But the newly expanded tournament has so far had a “minimal impact” on injuries overall, the latest edition of the Men’s European Football Injury Index found.
There was fierce opposition to FIFA’s new flagship club event when it was confirmed in 2023 that it would increase from seven to 32 teams, with players’ unions warning of physical and mental burnout of players due to an ever expanding match schedule. But FIFA pressed ahead and staged the tournament in the United States in June-July.
Chelsea went on to win the inaugural competition, receiving the trophy from U.S. President Donald
Trump at MetLife Stadium and taking home prize money of around $125 million. But, according to the Index, from June-October, Chelsea picked up more injuries — 23 — than any of the nine clubs from Europe’s top leagues that participated in the Club World Cup.
They included star player Cole Palmer, and was a 44% increase on the same period last year.
While Chelsea, which played 64 games over the entire 2024-25 season, saw an increase in injuries, the Index, produced by global insurance firm Howden, found that overall there was a decrease.
“In principle you would expect this increased workload to lead to an increase in the number of injuries sustained, as a possible rise in overall injury severity,”
the Index report said, but added: “The data would suggest a minimal impact on overall injury figures.”
Despite the figures, the authors of the report accept it was too early to assess the full impact of the Club World Cup, with the findings only going up to October.