Premier League clubs face heavy World Cup workload

The ongoing World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico has placed an unprecedented workload on Premier League players, with data from Opta revealing significant disparities in minutes played across clubs. The tournament concludes on Sunday, leaving just 33 days before the start of the 2025-26 Premier League season. While clubs have begun pre-season preparations, many are without key players who continue to accumulate minutes in the knockout stages.

Manchester City and Arsenal lead workload charts

Manchester City top the Premier League workload chart with a total of 5,027 World Cup minutes played by their squad. Midfielder Rodri has logged 537 minutes for Spain, while centre-back Marc Guehi has played 483 minutes and defender Nico O'Reilly 454 minutes for England. Additionally, Elliot Anderson, who is moving from Nottingham Forest to City, has contributed 533 minutes for the Three Lions.

Arsenal rank second with 4,285 minutes, the second-highest total in the league. Defender William Saliba has played 450 minutes for France, while England trio Declan Rice (386), Noni Madueke (288), and Bukayo Saka (267) have each exceeded 250 minutes. Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Manchester United follow, all with totals above 2,500 minutes. At the other end of the spectrum, Brentford have the fewest minutes among represented clubs, with just over 600.

Among individual players, Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez leads all Premier League players with 600 minutes, followed by Everton's Jordan Pickford with 570 minutes. However, goalkeepers face different physical demands compared to outfield players.

Injury toll mounts during tournament

The injury list has grown steadily as the tournament progressed. Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana suffered the most serious setback, rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament during Belgium's 4-1 win over the United States. Manchester United's Manuel Ugarte also had his tournament ended early after picking up a knee problem during the group stage with Uruguay.

Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson broke his arm while celebrating England's win over Mexico but has remained with Thomas Tuchel's squad. Andy Robertson was forced off against Brazil with a suspected right ankle injury and was seen with ice strapped around it. Scotland's elimination meant he did not miss further matches, but the injury is still being assessed. Robertson, who moved from Liverpool to Tottenham this summer, told the BBC: "Personally, time will tell." Reece James, who featured for England against Norway, is managing a hamstring injury and has been eased through the tournament.

Concerns over packed calendar

Seven of Arsenal's squad could have played up to 65 matches this season, including 57 during the 2025-26 season and eight at the World Cup. Manchester City and Chelsea have players who have competed in three consecutive summer tournaments: the 2024 Euros and Copa America, last summer's Club World Cup, and this year's World Cup. One such player is City midfielder Rodri, who said in 2024 that players were "close" to striking because of the sheer number of games.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and new Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca have previously warned the packed football schedule is not sustainable. Maresca, while Chelsea manager, argued the industry does "not protect players." Following an injury to Kai Havertz in February 2025, Arteta said: "We've had players who are injured who've played 130 games in the last two seasons, so it's an accident waiting to happen, when you continue to load, load and load." Rice has played through both injury and illness during the World Cup and was substituted after 45 minutes during England's win over Norway. France defender Saliba has been dealing with a back problem.