The Club World Cup is the “beginning of the new season” and “not the continuation of last season”, says Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak.
City endured a disappointing 2024-25 campaign in which they failed to win a major trophy for the first time in eight years and finished third in the Premier League.
They played their last game of the season at Fulham last Sunday but are back in competitive action just 24 days later at the expanded 32-team Fifa tournament which starts on 14 June in the United States.
“The team will take the rest that they will take right now, then they start pre-season and then immediately straight into the Club World Cup,” said Khaldoon in an in-house club interview.
“We’re excited to come in as champions. The format actually, I really like it.
“This is the beginning of the new season, not the continuation of last season.”
Pep Guardiola’s men travel to the US having won the event two years ago in its previous guise, beating Fluminese in the final in Saudi Arabia.
Khaldoon said City want to be ready with their “new squad” for the start of the tournament.
AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has been heavily linked with a move to Etihad Stadium, while City are also interested in Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.
There will be two transfer windows this summer – one before the Club World Cup, from 1-10 June, to allow Manchester City and Chelsea to sign players.
It will then close close for five days before running again from 16 June to 1 September.
City players have raised concerns about the relentless fixture schedule, with defender Manuel Akanji joking last year that he may have to retire at 30, while Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who missed the majority of the season with a serious knee injury, said players had been close to going on strike.
City manager Guardiola said any changes regarding football’s increasing fixture demands must be led by the players.
In January, a meeting between players’ union Fifpro and world governing body Fifa took place discussing the packed calendar after the body representing players filed legal complaint against the the world governing body citing “abuse of dominance”.
The revamped Club World Cup will see City play Moroccan side Wydad AC on 18 June (17:00 BST), Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates on 23 June (02:00) and then Juventus on 26 June (20:00) in the group stages.
With the top two from each of the eight groups qualifying for the knockout stages the teams that reach the final, on 13 July, will play seven games.
The Premier League season kicks off on 13 August.
Given the lack of rest for players, questions have been raised about how seriously teams would be taking it, but Khaldoon was in no doubt.
“This is a very, very serious competition,” he said. “In the summer, the whole world will be watching this.
“A big number of the top teams in the world will be competing in this tournament and I can assure you, we’re going to give it our best shot.
“We’re going there to win it.”
City are still waiting to learn the outcome of the hearing into its 115 charges of alleged Premier League financial rule breaches.
The hearing took place in front of an independent commission between September and December.
If City – who strongly deny the charges – are found guilty, the commission has unlimited powers, which include a points deduction and relegation.
Khaldoon added: “We still don’t have a ruling. Once there’s a ruling, I’ll be able to speak about it.
“Until then we just have to be patient, and it’ll come, and we will talk about it, I promise you, once we have the ruling.”
