Top European leagues and players' union Fifpro have lodged a legal complaint against FIFA with the European Commission over “abuse of a dominant position” by world football's governing body.
The European Leagues, which represent 39 leagues – including the Premier League – and 1,130 clubs from 33 countries, and its European arm Fifpro claim that FIFA has abused its role under European competition law when it comes to the international fixtures calendar.
Spain's La Liga is not part of the European leagues, but is joining in on the action.
Alexander Bielefeld, policy director at Fifpro, said various parties had “submitted a legal complaint to the European Commission” and called it “unprecedented.”
BBC Sport looks at both sides of the story and the arguments presented.
How did we get to this point?
There is an ongoing dispute over the number of games played by players in a season and this is the latest legal action taken on the matter.
The Professional Footballers' Association joined a lawsuit against FIFA in June over an “overburdened and unworkable” football calendar.
The PFA and the French players' union have filed a lawsuit with the Brussels Commercial Court “challenging the legality of FIFA's decision to unilaterally establish the international match calendar, and in particular the decision to create and schedule the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.”
Twelve European representatives are expected to take part in the expanded Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States from June 15 to July 13.
The tournament was approved by the FIFA Council in December 2022, with the PFA saying it is “a turning point for the football calendar and the ability for players to take significant breaks between seasons.”
Fifpro also claimed “FIFA's decisions in recent years have repeatedly favored its own competition and commercial interests, neglected its responsibilities as a governing body and harmed the economic interests of domestic leagues and player welfare.”
What does the football calendar look like?
This season, all three European club competitions have been expanded to 36 teams. The Champions League and Europa League will play eight matches in the first phase, compared to six in the 2023-24 season.
The PFA stressed that for some of its members “the 2024-25 season will transition almost seamlessly into the 2025-26 season.”
The Premier League season will end on May 25, and the Champions League final will take place on May 31.
There will then be a window of international competitions from June 2-10 before the start of the extended Club World Cup.
Manchester City wanted matches to be delayed at the start of the 2025-26 season due to their participation in the Club World Cup, but I don't think the Premier League would agree to such a request.
The next World Cup will be held in the summer of 2026 and will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
What do players say?
Spain and Manchester City midfielder Rodri recently said that players were close to striking in protest against the extension of the number of matches.
The 28-year-old played 63 times for club and country last season, winning the Premier League and the European Championship.
According to Fifpro's latest player workload report, Rodri was included in 72 matchday squads for clubs and national teams, including pre-season friendlies, between July 2023 and July 2024, spending a total of 6,107 minutes on the pitch.
Rodri played over 550 minutes for Spain at Euro 2024, appearing in each of the seven matches until the final on July 14, in which he was injured at half-time.
He returned to action for his country on 8 September in a Nations League match against Switzerland, before suffering a season-ending knee injury for City against Arsenal on 22 September.
Switzerland and Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji joked that he may have to retire at the age of 30 due to his busy match schedules, while Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson also complained about a perceived lack of consultation on the football calendar.
“Sometimes no one asks the players what they think about adding more games,” said Alisson, who is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.
“Maybe our opinion doesn't matter, but everyone knows how we feel about organizing more matches. Everyone is tired of this.”
What do FIFA and UEFA say about this?
One of the allegations leveled against FIFA is the lack of a proper consultation process before extending the football calendar.
World football's governing body has insisted that Fifpro and the World League Association be consulted on changes to the overall international fixtures calendar for 2025-2030, including the 2025 Club World Cup.
FIFA says it has no intention of changing next year's Club World Cup, insisting it is “entirely within our rights to set the parameters of our competition while respecting the applicable regulatory framework.”
FIFA also accused some leagues of “hypocrisy” and acting “without regard to the rest of the world.”
“These leagues clearly prefer a calendar filled with friendlies and summer away trips, often involving extensive travel around the world,” FIFA said.
“By contrast, FIFA must protect the overall interests of world football, including player protection, everywhere and at all levels of the game.”
After the final Premier League season ended on May 19, Newcastle United and Tottenham flew to Australia for an end-of-season friendly match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Last summer, Premier League clubs also took part in pre-season games across the United States and in Tokyo.
A recent study by the CIES Football Observatory found that clubs are not playing more games per season on players' schedules and workloads, according to a research group at the International Center for Sports Studies.
The report shows that between 2012 and 2024 the average number of matches per club per season was just over 40, with around 5% of clubs playing 60 or more matches per season.
No significant change was observed in the percentage of clubs playing 60 or more matches.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin admitted that “the match calendar has reached capacity”, but also believes that complaints on the matter come from a minority of players.
“The effects vary greatly between clubs and players. Some people are overloaded. Others have spare capacity,” he said.
“To be honest with those who are struggling, I stand by what I said two months ago that there is no room for additional games. But I must add, who's complaining? Those who earn the most and those (clubs) with the top 25 players.
“Those with lower salaries and only 11 players do not complain. They love to play.”
