Chelsea injuries rise 44 percent after Club World Cup, according to European Football Injury Index

Chelsea have seen a 44% spike in injuries after competing in this year’s super-sized Club World Cup, according to findings published on Tuesday.

But the newly expanded tournament has had a “minimal impact” on injury rates so far, according to the latest edition of the Men’s European Football Injury Index.

There was fierce opposition to FIFA’s new flagship club event when it was confirmed in 2023 that it would be expanded from seven to 32 teams, with players’ unions warning of players’ physical and mental burnout due to an ever-increasing fixture list. But FIFA persevered and organized the tournament in June-July in the United States.

Chelsea went on to win the first match, receiving the trophy from US President Donald Trump at MetLife Stadium and taking home prize money of around $125 million. But according to the Index, Chelsea suffered more injuries (23) between June and October than all nine clubs from Europe’s top leagues that took part in the Club World Cup.

This included star player Cole Palmer, which was a 44% increase from the same period last year.

The introduction of the expanded Club World Cup came at a time when competitions such as the Champions League and the World Cup are also increasing in size.

Maheta Molango, CEO of England’s Players Football Association, said players are being pushed to their limits and «being exposed to an extreme schedule at increasingly younger ages.»

“The current calendar makes no sense for players, fans or clubs,” he said.

While Chelsea, who played 64 games across the 2024-2025 season, saw an increase in injuries, the Index, compiled by global insurance company Howden, found there was an overall decline.

“In principle, you would expect that this increased workload would lead to an increase in the number of injuries sustained, and a possible increase in the overall severity of injuries,” the Index report said, but added: “The data suggests a minimal impact on overall injury rates.”

Despite the figures, the report’s authors acknowledged it was too early to assess the full impact of the Club World Cup, as the findings won’t be visible until October.

“We expect the impact to increase over such a period from November to February,” said James Burrows, head of sport at Howden. “What we’ve seen before is that this is the impact of summer tournaments.”

Manchester City have retained 22 since the tournament, which is the most among the nine teams from Europe’s top leagues: England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

These teams recorded 146 injuries between June and October, which is down from last year’s figure of 174.

From August to October, that number is 121, the lowest for that three-month period in the Index’s previous six years.

Published on December 16, 2025