The Club World Cup. A bold new era for the world’s most popular sport — or a major inconvenience, shoe-horned into a soccer calendar that is already at saturation point?

FIFA's newly expanded tournament kicks off June 14 in Miami against the backdrop of legal challenges in Europe, strike threats and repeated concerns over players' mental and physical welfare due to the increased number of games.

There has been no shortage of pushback from Europe since the bumper new addition to soccer's landscape was announced in December 2023. Voices of dissent from the continent that will be sending the most teams to the tournament have continued virtually right up to its big launch.

“We want to protect football,” David Terrier, president of players' union FIFPRO Europe, said. “It’s a big problem and

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