Soccer heading for 'point of saturation' as more games added to calendar, says Premier League chief

LONDON — Soccer will reach saturation point if more matches are added to the calendar, the head of the Premier League said Wednesday.

England's top league is part of a legal challenge against FIFA, alongside other domestic competitions in Europe and player unions. They argue the game’s global governing body has not consulted with them in any meaningful way on the sport’s calendar and have been urging a rethink on what they claimed was an “inherently abusive” decision-making process, including expanding the men’s World Cup and Club World Cup.

Richard Masters, the Premier League's chief executive, believes too much soccer risks turning people off.

“It’s a really difficult thing to predict when saturation takes hold,” said Masters, speaking ahead of the new Premier League season starting Friday.

“Obviously, we have lots of football. The Premier League is part of it. It’s part of the picture, our clubs participate in multiple competitions, and we’re adding to that calendar, so it should be a concern. I think that we will reach a point of saturation, yes.”

The U.S. will host a relaunched Club World Cup next June-July, with 32 teams — 12 from Europe, including Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich — playing a maximum of seven games.

Masters insisted the legal move was not solely about the Club World Cup itself, more about the impact its scheduling could have on existing competitions.

“If our clubs get to the final of those competitions, what sort of teams are they going to be able to field at the start of the (2025-26) Premier League season when we have an obligation to the players to give them three weeks’ rest, which they won’t get?” Masters said.

“In the end, it doesn’t add up. So a new accommodation has to be reached. The Club World Cup is a relevant competition that should be able to develop in its own way, but not at the expense of other people’s competitions.”