Chelsea and Manchester City, the Premier League representatives in the tournament, will compete in the United States starting 15 June. FIFA only allows domestic transfer windows to remain open for 16 weeks in a calendar year, with European leagues typically allocating four weeks to winter transfers and 12 to summer. To accommodate the Club World Cup, FIFA approved the additional June window, which also impacts other major European clubs such as Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Al-Hilal.
The Premier League wanted to prevent Manchester City and Chelsea from gaining an unfair advantage over other clubs, leading to the adoption of this split-window system. However, to align with Europe's other top leagues, which preferred closing transfers at the end of August, the Premier League had to implement a temporary closure and reopening of its window.
One challenge posed by these changes is the scheduling of international matches. The Champions League final is set for 31 May, followed by Nations League fixtures and World Cup qualifiers from 6-10 June. This creates a scenario where players could be negotiating transfers while preparing for crucial matches. Additionally, international players involved in the Club World Cup could face uncertainty. For example, Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose contract at Liverpool expires on 30 June, is reportedly set to join Real Madrid, a team competing in the tournament. Real could negotiate an early release with Liverpool to have him available for the entire competition or wait until 30 June to register him for the knockout stage. Similarly, Kevin De Bruyne, whose contract at Manchester City also ends on 30 June, could play in the group stage but might be ineligible for the later rounds unless he signs a short-term extension.
FIFA has adjusted its registration rules to allow clubs to sign players specifically for the duration of the tournament, though it is unlikely that Chelsea or Manchester City will take advantage of this option. Meanwhile, both clubs stand to earn up to £97 million from their participation in the competition.
In a separate development, the Premier League is considering introducing semi-automated offside technology in April. The system, which was tested in the FA Cup fifth round and will be used again in upcoming quarter-final matches, aims to improve decision-making by automating key aspects of the offside process. Initially planned for introduction in October or November, technical issues caused delays. However, if the upcoming trials are successful, the technology could be implemented in the Premier League as early as next week.
