Red Bull’s global director of football, Jürgen Klopp, launched a scathing attack on the Club World Cup, considering the tournament held in the United States to be the worst idea ever in the history of football.
The 32-team World Cup is held at the end of a long and tiring season during which each team participated in at least three tournaments. The extremely hot weather in the United States has led to criticism from many players and officials regarding the idea of holding the tournament.
Klopp attacks FIFA officials over the Club World Cup
In a press interview, Klopp said of the Club World Cup, “It’s the worst tournament idea ever implemented in the history of football.”
He added, “People who have nothing to do with the daily reality of this sport are the ones who decide.”
Bayern Munich pursues its favorite hobby and snatches a Bundesliga star.
He continued, “I fear that players will suffer injuries next season that they have never suffered before. If that doesn’t happen, those injuries will come at the World Cup or afterward.”
He concluded by saying, “The large number of teams, the increased number of matches, and the tournament being held in the summer after this leap season, increases the pressure on the players. This will inevitably lead to a large number of injuries.”
Klopp is not the first to complain about the Club World Cup. Pep Guardiola also did so, stating upon arriving in the United States, “We will only rest when we die,” referring to the enormous pressure of the match schedule and the lack of rest for the players over the past two years.
🗣️ Klopp: “Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football. People who have never had anything to do with day-to-day business are coming up with ideas.
I fear that next season players will suffer injuries they’ve never had before. If not, then it’ll happen at the… pic.twitter.com/vF2eV8Nyky
— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) June 28, 2025
Klopp Admits: I Was Close to Coaching Germany in 2022
In the same context, Klopp admitted that he received an exciting offer to coach the German national team in 2022 after Hansi Flick left the Mannschaft, but he chose to continue with Liverpool at the time.
The former Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund coach continued, “Maybe it would have been better for me to start something new at the time after an unsuccessful season with Liverpool, but I didn’t want to leave the club like that.”
He continued, “My relationship with the club and the players was strong. I didn’t want to leave with my team in that situation. I wanted to fix things first. That was my main concern.”
Klopp’s Future in Coaching
Klopp had previously announced that he did not intend to return to coaching due to the pressures he had experienced over the years, which prevented him from being with his family.
The German had the opportunity to take over at Real Madrid, succeeding Carlo Ancelotti, but he declined, confirming that he did not intend to return to coaching clubs in the next two years.
Meanwhile, Klopp’s contract with Red Bull includes a release clause that allows him to leave only to coach the German national team, and the 60-year-old is said to be open to the idea if Julian Nagelsmann leaves after the 2026 World Cup or after his contract expires at the end of Euro 2028.
