This summer's Club World Cup has, predictably, not been much of a hit in the UK.

There is Premier League representation at the tournament in Chelsea and Manchester City, but truth be told, the tournament has failed to capture the imagination of supporters.

The Premier League - won by Liverpool last season, by the way - and Champions League continue to be the two elite competitions for English clubs.



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That is all well and good from a financial perspective, but the tournament is far from ideal preparation for the 2025-26 Premier League season.

City is coming off the back of its worst season in almost a decade, and storming around dodgy astroturf fields in sweltering heat is unlikely to get the players in prime shape to reclaim their crown from Liverpool.

Meanwhile, Liverpool's players are deep into their summer vacations as Mohamed Salah and Co enjoy some rest and relaxation ahead of their title defense.



Mohamed Salah doesn't seem too fussed about missing out on the Club World Cup

Liverpool's pre-season gets under way on July 7 — six weeks on from the title parade — and that means that City's players could still be in Club World Cup action when the Reds play their first pre-season game.

The semi-finals of the Club World Cup take place on July 8 and July 9, with the final kicking off at 8pm BST on July 13 — five hours after Liverpool faces Preston in its pre-season opener at Deepdale.

So, regardless of the lucrative sums that City is pulling in, there is no chance that Liverpool would choose to swap positions with its biggest rival right now.


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