Premier League rejects Man City’s request to start next season late

Pep Guardiola claims the Premier League have refused to accept Manchester City’s request to start next season late due to their involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup.

Guardiola said City had asked the Premier League to postpone their first matches of the 2025-26 campaign to allow extra time to rest after the Club World Cup in the United States.

Having already lost influential Spain midfielder Rodri for the rest of this season following his knee injury against Arsenal, Guardiola fears his players will be burnt out and at risk of injury because of the increased workload.

The Premier League champions’ season could run until July 13 if they reach the final of the expanded 32-team Club World Cup.

That could leave them just a four-week gap to squeeze in player holidays and preparations in time for the anticipated start of the next Premier League season on August 9 or 16.

There could be an even shorter break if City are involved in the Community Shield, as they have been for six of the last seven seasons.

But Guardiola said City’s plea for a longer recovery period had so far fallen on deaf ears and he does not expect that to change.

City already have a strained relationship with the Premier League as they fight 115 charges of alleged financial breaches, including a failure to cooperate with an investigation.

“The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone – and Chelsea, I think, all the teams that will go to the World Cup – the first two games to have more recovery. Thank you so much! They don’t postpone these games,” Guardiola said.

“I think the club asked the Premier League, for the first or second game, to postpone it one or two, three weeks, in the middle of the week, to have one more week or two more weeks’ holidays after the World Cup.”

Asked to clarify if a request had not been allowed, Guardiola said: “Absolutely not. The Premier League say yes to us? No. Absolutely not. It’s not going to happen.”

The Premier League has not commented, but it is believed initial discussions were held over the possibility of postponing fixtures.

Whilst there was no outright refusal, City has not been given the impression any such application would succeed.