The FIFA Club World Cup Is a Commercial Hit, but Players and Coaches Slam Conditions and Planning

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup — a revamped competition featuring 32 teams from all corners of the world — has been a global success, with the tournament offering fans a rare opportunity to watch clubs with diverse backgrounds and playing philosophies compete for an international crown.

Four days into the tournament, FIFA announced that nearly 1.5 million tickets had been sold. Less than a week later, organizers reported that total attendance had surpassed 1 million already. And while some matches have seen thousands of empty seats, the competition has largely been well received around the world thanks to its high-intensity, entertaining matchups.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino praised the tournament's momentum, saying players from all 32 teams "are loving" the experience of competing on the expanded global stage.

But behind the scenes, not all involved share that enthusiasm.

Despite strong attendance figures and commercial success, players and coaches have voiced concerns about the tournament's organization. In post-match interviews and press conferences, many have pointed to the heat, poor pitch conditions, and the increasingly congested match calendar — urging FIFA to prioritize player welfare and improve the experience for both athletes and fans.

One of the primary complaints has been the quality of the pitches.

Several stadiums hosting Club World Cup matches — including Lumen Field in Seattle, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta — are using temporary natural grass pitches installed over artificial turf to meet FIFA standards.

After facing criticism during last year's Copa América, FIFA chose to install single-layer natural grass surfaces at turf-based stadiums, rather than alternating overlays between matches. Still, even with the hybrid setup — and even when discussing venues that already feature natural grass — players say conditions are far from ideal.

Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique has been among the most vocal critics. After his team's 2–0 win over the Seattle Sounders on Monday, he called on FIFA to examine not only the quality of match-day pitches but also the training facilities provided to teams.

"I'm saying this today because we won — the pitches here are nowhere near the quality of those in Europe," Luis Enrique said. "They look good, but the ball bounces like a rabbit. Today, for example, the surface was laid over the original turf and had to be watered manually. They watered it at halftime, but it was dry again after 10 minutes."

Luis Enrique, who led PSG to a UEFA Champions League title in May, added that dry surfaces present a serious challenge for teams that play possession-based football.

"For our style, it's a problem. And I don't want it to sound like an excuse — that's why I'm saying it after a win," he said. "You can't really play the way you want. This is supposed to be one of the top competitions in the world. I don't imagine NBA courts with holes in them, but we've played on pitches where the ball feels more like a rabbit than a soccer ball."

Achraf Hakimi, named Man of the Match in that same game, echoed his manager's concerns and pointed to the heat as a key factor behind the dry, inconsistent playing surfaces.

"I think the most negative aspect I have experienced so far — and it's something we can't do anything about — is the heat," Hakimi told The Latin Times. "It is summer, and you can tell by how quickly the pitch dries up. With our playing style, where we like to have the ball and control the flow of the game, it slows us down when the pitch is dry."

With parts of the United States facing record heat in recent days, players from across Europe, South America, and Africa have shared similar frustrations.

After Real Madrid's 3–1 win over Liga MX side Pachuca at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, midfielder Jude Bellingham offered a blunt assessment of the surface.

"The pitches aren't great here, honestly," Bellingham told reporters on June 22. "It holds up, the ball barely bounces, and it's tough on the knees as well. Hopefully it's something that someone will look at going into the World Cup next year. It's important that we protect the players as well as give the fans a spectacle."

Palmeiras defender Joaquín Piquerez also raised concerns after his team's match against Al Ahly last week, saying the heat clearly affected the pace and rhythm of play.

"Today was too hot, and the time of day when we played didn't help," he told The Athletic. "I asked the Egyptian players what they thought of the heat, and even they said it was hot — and they're used to playing in hot climates."

Although players have continued to speak out about field conditions and player safety, FIFA's regulations for the Club World Cup make only limited mention of extreme weather. As The Athletic recently reported, the only formal safeguard is the implementation of two cooling breaks per match, which are triggered when the wet-bulb globe temperature (a measurement that combines heat, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed) exceeds 32°C (89.6°F).

These breaks, lasting between 90 seconds and three minutes, are meant to offer brief relief in extreme heat conditions. But critics argue they do little to address the broader issue of playing high-stakes matches in peak summer heat.

In that same report, The Athletic cited a statement from FIFPro — the global union representing professional footballers — which emphasized that it has "consistently advocated for comprehensive heat protection measures, including mandatory cooling breaks, adjustments to kick-off times to avoid the most intense heat, and the postponement of matches when conditions pose a serious health risk to players." The organization added it would continue monitoring conditions throughout the tournament to ensure player welfare remains a priority.

Apart from the extreme heat, some of those participating at this year's Club World Cup have also criticized the extra workload the tournament represents in the players' already saturated calendars.

When asked by The Latin Times about the rumors surrounding FIFA's interest in making the competition a biennial one, Luis Enrique sarcastically responded: "Every two years? It'd be better if it was every two months. I think all managers and all the players think that the current calendar is what it is."

"It's clear that some tournaments are introduced with good intentions and can bring something valuable to the game. But eventually, there needs to be clear guidelines on what kind of rest players need — they're not machines."

"I believe it's crucial for all stakeholders to reach an agreement that ensures soccer remains a top global sport. And for that to happen, players must be given adequate rest and recovery time, so the quality of the game doesn't suffer," Luis Enrique added.

And although Infantino has said the tournament has been well-received by players and coaches, Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone sent a clear message to organizers critiquing another detail that continues to impact teams participating in tournaments held in the United States.

"I wanted to take a second and send a message to people at FIFA," Simeone told reporters at a post-match press conference last week. "There is obviously a time limit for teams to return back to the field after halftime, but sometimes it is impossible to make it back on time because when we make it to the locker room, five minutes already passed by how far they are to the field. I imagine that is happening to a lot of teams, but I assume you guys (the press) do not care."

The Argentine manager was referring to fines given out by Conmebol during last year's Copa América, in which managers were suspended for one of their team's games if they failed to make it back to the field after the 15-minute break allotted for halftime.

Last year, multiple coaches were fined and suspended during the tournament, including Argentina's national coach Lionel Scaloni, who missed the game against Perú. Last year, Conmebol argued that the size of the venues was "not an excuse" to justify delays of games.

"If you don't make it back on time they fine you. I wanted to explain this to those that don't understand the situation. The only way to avoid the fines would be to make the breaks eight minutes instead of 15 or to just let us stay close to the tunnel, that way we would be right on schedule and would respect all the money broadcasters generate," Simeone said.