Dutch Eredivisie among over 40 football leagues angered by FIFA’s “damaging” plans

More than forty professional football leagues unified as the World Leagues Forum (WLF) have strongly criticized FIFA's intended plans for expansion. The organization said the decisions about the international fixtures calendar will have “damaging consequences for the football economy and player welfare.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the reforms at the World Cup in Qatar. The plans include expanding the Club World Cup from seven teams to 32 teams starting in 2025.

FIFA also wants to use the international matches scheduled in even-numbered years for mini-tournaments featuring teams from different continents. The decision has already been made to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams, up from 32 national teams.

"These decisions have been made unilaterally without consulting, let alone agreeing, with those who are directly affected by them: the leagues, their member clubs, the players and fans," said a statement from the WLF. It’s members includes the Eredivisie, the top professional football league in the Netherlands, as well as other top European leagues in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom.

“As the calendar is already overloaded, with longstanding domestic club competitions and ever-expanding international competitions, FIFA’s decision creates the risk of fixture congestion, further player injuries and a distortion of competitive balance,” the WLF said. “The interests of the football community, which we expect FIFA to take care of, are not best-served by piling-up FIFA-owned matches which only involve the top 1% of players.”

The WLF has asked FIFA to be transparent about the process, and said it would convene a board meeting in January to review how FIFA’s plans will impact domestic leagues.