The Premier League turned down Manchester City and Chelsea’s request to postpone their 2025–2026 season openers because of the overwhelming number of matches scheduled in light of the teams’ participation in the FIFA Club World Cup, which has been redesigned.

Less than a month before the anticipated start of the Premier League season, on July 13, 2025, the 32-team competition final will take place, bringing even more competition to a calendar already packed with games for elite European teams. On Friday, Guardiola said that they are still in negotiations with Premier League authorities and hinted that the League would “absolutely not” accept the defending champions.

“We are quite grateful that the Premier League did not let Chelsea and ourselves postpone the first games in order to aid in our recuperation. So, the situation will be, “Oh, what do we have to do?” if they decide not to postpone these games.

Since I have never been there before, I am at a loss for words at this time. I would suggest that we make a judgment based on common sense. At a news conference, Guardiola said, “We are going to see the players and schedule.”

Without a doubt not. Does the Premier League approve of us? No. Definitely not,” he continued.

Fixture congestion has become a major issue in today’s football scene as players from all around the globe have voiced their opposition to teams playing more games in a single season. The incidence of long-term injuries has sharply climbed over the last two seasons, with ACL injuries becoming increasingly frequent and raising concerns within the industry.

Star midfielder Rodri of Manchester City recently discussed the increasing amount of games and said that the team is on the verge of going on strike. The Spaniard suffered an ACL injury against Arsenal and was sidelined for the season shortly after making his remarks.