FIFA World Cup 2026 (via Getty Images)
The 2026 World Cup is still weeks away, but concerns around player burnout, extreme weather conditions and football’s increasingly crowded calendar are already dominating conversations behind the scenes.Elite players are heading into another expanded World Cup after gruelling domestic campaigns packed with league matches, European competitions and international fixtures. FIFA expanded the tournament from 32 to 48 teams beginning in 2026, increasing the competition to 104 matches as part of a push to grow the game globally, generate greater revenue and create more qualification opportunities for nations across Asia, Africa and North America.But with clubs and governing bodies continuing to add more games to an already overloaded calendar, fears are growing that football’s biggest stars are being physically pushed beyond sustainable limits.
‘The World Cup will become survival of the fittest’
According to an exclusive report by the Mirror, Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango revealed that players have already discussed the possibility of taking action because they feel they are “being pushed to the limit”. Molango warned that this summer’s tournament risks becoming less about quality and more about physical endurance. “The World Cup should be the culmination of a dream but the reality is that it will be the survival of the fittest. It’s not right,” Molango said. “Let’s go to the root of the problem. It cannot be the survival of the fittest. Now you see games which are not won by the best team, they are won by the fittest.
CEO of the Professional Footballers’ Association Maheta Molango /Image: PFA
“The players are superheroes. They are also very well paid. But that does not mean they should be pushed to the limit from a human perspective.” Molango also warned that exhausted players ultimately damage the quality of the sport itself. “There is a real risk of the player. And for those who don’t care about that, there’s a real risk to the product because people will pay thousands of pounds to watch people ‘walking’ at best.”
FIFA World Cup 2026 Groups/ FIFA
He added that modern footballers are becoming increasingly aware of their collective influence and are no longer willing to quietly accept every scheduling demand placed on them. “Maybe the players need to self regulate. That friendly you have organised, I’m not going to play it. “The authorities have decided to encroach, we live in a world of bullies and they think you can just bully your way through. “But unfortunately, people don’t seem to realise they are dealing with human beings and those human beings are not as stupid as maybe they think they are. They understand the power of the collective. They are not dumb. They are smart and switched on.”
Van Dijk, Rice and Europe’s most overworked stars
The concerns are backed up by workload figures across Europe’s biggest leagues. According to Opta data, 19 Premier League players have already crossed 4,000 minutes in all competitions this season before even reaching the World Cup. Virgil van Dijk currently tops Europe’s five major leagues with 4,761 minutes played for Liverpool, while teammate Dominik Szoboszlai sits fourth with 4,556 minutes.
Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk warms up prior to the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and Liverpool in Liverpool, England, Sunday, April 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa is the highest-ranked English player on the list with 4,382 minutes played, while Declan Rice has already accumulated 4,246 minutes during Arsenal’s marathon campaign. Players from Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest also rank high because of European football and international commitments. Last year, FIFPRO’s report into player workload criticised what it called “unprecedentedly long and congested seasons” and recommended mandatory four-week off-seasons alongside winter breaks. Back in September 2024, Rodri had already warned players were “close” to strike action after playing a 63-game season for Manchester City. Later that same month, he ruptured his ACL. Molango said many players are now privately acknowledging the warnings they were previously reluctant to confront. “I was talking to one player who said to me: ‘I don’t drink, I don’t go out, I could not do more to be fit but I’m injured.’ “He said to me, ‘You were right! When you came to see us two years ago about the calendar, we listened, but… you were right.’”
Heat, dry pitches and fears over World Cup conditions
Beyond fixture congestion, players are also worried about the physical conditions awaiting them in the United States. Molango attended the Premier League Summer Series in America last year and described the temperatures as alarming. “I went to a game in Philadelphia at 3pm and with the temperatures, I couldn’t breathe,” he said. “The games were back to back and the difference between the early and the later games were like night and day.”
Sprinkler water grass during the pitch installation for FIFA World Cup 2026 at NYNJ Stadium, Thursday, May 7, 2026, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
He also revealed that several players who featured in the Club World Cup had complained directly to him about conditions. “I’ve spoken to players directly who said to me they couldn’t breathe. The grass is so dry because they are American Football pitches. You go to Atlanta and the pitch is so dry. They are not playing NFL.” Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea previously described the temperatures at the Club World Cup as “incredible” and “dangerous”, admitting they left him feeling “really dizzy”. Molango acknowledged that FIFA had adjusted some kick-off times and venues after receiving concerns, but stressed that the problems had not disappeared.
Players becoming more willing to push back
Molango also pointed toward a previous standoff in Spain as evidence that players are increasingly prepared to refuse participation if they believe decisions are harming them. “La Liga have done a fantastic job over the years,” he said. “They wanted to play a game in Miami. They did their usual and just decided to crack on. The players just said we are not going. In the end, the game was cancelled. “That should have been a wake-up for football. If the players are not there. There is no game. They need to understand what the players think.” The PFA chief believes today’s generation of footballers are more socially aware, more connected to the wider football pyramid and more conscious of their long-term responsibility toward the sport. “You need to remember that most of them come from the football pyramid. Even the national team. Harry Kane has played for Leyton Orient. I don’t need to explain to him what it means. I don’t need to explain it to Kyle Walker. Declan Rice was rejected from an academy. “They get it. Jude Bellingham played in the Championship with Birmingham City. I don’t need to tell him what it means.” Molango also referenced the mentality inside the women’s game. “I loved an expression from the Lionesses. ‘We want to leave the shirt in a better place.’ “The Kim Littles, Leah Williamson. It’s not just about themselves. They want to leave a legacy and to leave the shirt in a better place. That was not necessarily the case 20 years ago.”
‘Everyone forgets the 68 games’
One of Molango’s biggest concerns centres around how quickly public expectations erase the physical cost of modern football schedules.Using Declan Rice as an example, Molango warned that players could arrive at the World Cup mentally and physically drained after marathon club seasons stretching close to 70 games.“Who will have sympathy for Declan Rice?” Molango asked.“Everyone forgets the 68 games. If he’s lucky then he could get to 68 games even before the World Cup. Who remembers that? No-one. They will be busy saying: We need to win the World Cup.”
Arsenal’s Declan Rice reacts after losing the English League Cup final soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester City in London, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Pelham)
The PFA wants limits introduced around annual match totals, stricter regulations around back-to-back seasons and guaranteed rest periods. “The data says a maximum of 50 to 60 games a year. It’s a maximum of 45 back-to-back. A minimum of one month’s rest each summer. “But they say, ‘Sorry, but the calendar is locked until 2030.’ But when it comes to adding games, it’s no problem. But when it comes to reducing games, it’s locked.” Molango ended with a warning aimed directly at football’s governing bodies. “The days of thinking the players are the weakest link are over. They are the strongest link.”