Premier League Rules Out Reduction to 18 Clubs, Says CEO Richard Masters

Premier League to stay at 20 clubs despite scheduling pressures and FIFA disputes, says CEO Richard Masters.

The 2024-25 season will kick off on 15 August, covering 11 months of competition and concluding with the World Cup final in the United States on 19 July. With Chelsea completing the Club World Cup triumph and the Summer Series recently ending, fixture congestion has sparked debate over player welfare and calendar management.

League Size Debate

Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1 reduced their top divisions from 20 to 18 teams last season, a move suggested for the Premier League by some players concerned about burnout. However, Masters insists the league should not be "forced" into a similar adjustment. "Growth cannot come at the expense of domestic football," he said.

Tensions with FIFA and UEFA

Masters aligned with the players' union, FIFPRO, in criticising FIFA's rollout of a 32-team Club World Cup and the expanded 48-team World Cup, arguing stakeholders were not properly consulted. He also highlighted UEFA's recent expansion of club competitions as a key factor behind the scrapping of FA Cup replays and the compressed Carabao Cup schedule.

Masters warned that decisions by FIFA and UEFA, taken without full dialogue with leagues and clubs, are stretching players and disrupting domestic schedules.

Summer Series and Global Growth

Defending central funding for the Summer Series in the US, Masters confirmed plans to return in 2027. He described the tournament as "very popular" and part of the Premier League's broader growth agenda, citing new partnerships, such as with NBC.

Facing International Competition

With the Saudi Pro League's rising profile and the 2034 World Cup awarded to Saudi Arabia, Masters acknowledged the competitive environment. Nonetheless, he stressed that the Premier League's unpredictability and global fan base remain strengths. "As long as there is real competition for titles, European spots and survival, the league's future is bright," he said.

This topic was reported by BBC Sport.

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