The Club World Cup is the "beginning of the caller season" and "not the continuation of past season", says Manchester City president Khaldoon Al-Mubarak.
City endured a disappointing 2024-25 run successful which they failed to triumph a large trophy for the archetypal clip successful 8 years and finished 3rd successful the Premier League.
They played their past crippled of the play astatine Fulham past Sunday but are backmost successful competitory enactment conscionable 24 days aboriginal astatine the expanded 32-team Fifa tourney which starts connected 14 June successful the United States.
"The squad volition instrumentality the remainder that they volition instrumentality close now, past they commencement pre-season and past instantly consecutive into the Club World Cup," said Khaldoon successful an in-house nine interview.
"We're excited to travel successful arsenic champions. The format actually, I truly similar it.
"This is the opening of the caller season, not the continuation of past season."
Pep Guardiola's men question to the US having won the lawsuit 2 years agone successful its erstwhile guise, beating Fluminese successful the last successful Saudi Arabia.
Khaldoon said City privation to beryllium acceptable with their "new squad" for the commencement of the tournament.
AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders has been heavy linked with a determination to Etihad Stadium, portion City are besides funny successful Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White.
There volition beryllium 2 transportation windows this summertime - 1 earlier the Club World Cup, from 1-10 June, to let Manchester City and Chelsea to motion players.
It volition past adjacent close for 5 days earlier moving again from 16 June to 1 September.
City players person raised concerns astir the relentless fixture schedule, with defender Manuel Akanji joking past year that helium whitethorn person to discontinue astatine 30, portion Ballon d'Or victor Rodri, who missed the bulk of the play with a superior genu injury, said players had been adjacent to going connected strike.
City manager Guardiola said immoderate changes regarding football's expanding fixture demands indispensable beryllium led by the players.
In January, a meeting betwixt players' national Fifpro and satellite governing assemblage Fifa took spot discussing the packed calendar aft the assemblage representing players filed ineligible ailment against the the satellite governing assemblage citing "abuse of dominance".
The revamped Club World Cup volition spot City play Moroccan broadside Wyadd AC connected 18 June (17:00 BST), Al Ain from the United Arab Emirates connected 23 June (02:00) and past Juventus connected 26 June (20:00) successful the radical stages.
With the apical 2 from each of the 8 groups qualifying for the knockout stages the teams that scope the final, connected 13 July, volition play 7 games.
The Premier League play kicks disconnected connected 13 August.
Given the deficiency of remainder for players, questions person been raised astir however earnestly teams would beryllium taking it, but Khaldoon was successful nary doubt.
"This is simply a very, precise superior competition," helium said. "In the summer, the full satellite volition beryllium watching this.
"A large fig of the apical teams successful the satellite volition beryllium competing successful this tourney and I tin guarantee you, we're going to springiness it our champion shot.
"We're going determination to triumph it."
City are inactive waiting to learn the outcome of the proceeding into its 115 charges of alleged Premier League fiscal regularisation breaches.
The proceeding took spot successful beforehand of an autarkic committee betwixt September and December.
If City - who powerfully contradict the charges - are recovered guilty, the committee has unlimited powers, which see a points deduction and relegation.
Khaldoon added: "We inactive don't person a ruling. Once there's a ruling, I'll beryllium capable to talk astir it.
"Until past we conscionable person to beryllium patient, and it'll come, and we volition speech astir it, I committedness you, erstwhile we person the ruling."
English (US) ·