Chelsea won the newly-expanded Club World Cup back in July, but paid the price through injuries afterwards
Chelsea have struggled with injuries since the Club World Cupopen image in gallery
Chelsea have struggled with injuries since the Club World Cup (Nick Potts/PA Wire)
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Chelsea experienced a significant 44 per cent surge in injuries following their participation in this year’s expanded Club World Cup, new findings revealed on Tuesday.
However, the latest edition of the Men’s European Football Injury Index suggests the newly enlarged tournament has, so far, had a "minimal impact" on overall injury rates across European football.
The decision by Fifa in 2023 to expand its flagship club event from seven to 32 teams faced considerable opposition, with players’ unions voicing concerns over potential physical and mental burnout due to an ever-growing match schedule.
Despite these warnings, Fifa proceeded, staging the tournament in the United States during June and July.
Chelsea emerged victorious in the inaugural competition, receiving the trophy from U.S. President Donald Trump at MetLife Stadium and securing approximately $125 million in prize money.
Yet, according to the Index, between June and October, Chelsea recorded 23 injuries – more than any of the nine participating clubs from Europe’s top leagues.
This figure, which included star player Cole Palmer, represents a 44 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
While Chelsea, who played 64 games across the 2024-25 season, saw their injury count rise, the Index, compiled by global insurance firm Howden, noted an overall decrease in injuries among the top European clubs.
Chelsea won the Club World Cup back in Julyopen image in gallery
Chelsea won the Club World Cup back in July (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
"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 stated, but concluded: "The data would suggest a minimal impact on overall injury figures."
The nine teams from Europe’s top leagues – England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and France – recorded 146 injuries from June to October, a reduction from 174 in the previous year.
Specifically, the August-October period saw 121 injuries, marking the lowest figure for that three-month span in the Index’s six-year history.
Manchester City, however, sustained 22 injuries since the tournament, the highest among the nine teams.
Despite these figures, the report’s authors acknowledge it is too early to fully assess the Club World Cup’s impact, as the findings only extend to October.
James Burrows, Head of Sport at Howden, commented: "We would expect to see the impact to spike in that sort of November to February period. What we’ve seen previously is that’s where the impact is seen from summer tournaments."