Chelsea risk breaking strict FIFA rule in Club World Cup that would never happen in the Premier League

Chelsea are at risk of breaking a strict Club World Cup-specific rule despite playing only one match so far in the competition.

The Blues played their first group match on Monday, beating Major League Soccer side LAFC 2-0.

They face Flamengo on Saturday in Philadelphia, before taking on ES Tunis at the same venue on Wednesday evening.

Much like the other sides in the Club World Cup, Chelsea have been able to include players that haven't played for them during the 2024/25 campaign, either through not being signed by the club or being out on loan.

Manager Enzo Maresca didn't change his side significantly for the first group stage game, with new signing Liam Delap coming off the bench.

But the Italian may choose to do so in the second fixture, with Chelsea's season finishing later than some other clubs in the competition due to their successful participation in the Conference League final.

However, in doing so he may be in breach of a specific rule which, in terms of top-level competitions, is currently unique to the Club World Cup.

According to the Daily Mail, the Blues signed a participation agreement prior to the tournament getting underway which stated that they had to 'field their strongest team throughout the competition'.

The idea behind the rule was to prevent teams from rotating their squads, particularly in the group stage where the issue is more pertinent.

It is not entirely clear how FIFA would judge whether a club has fielded their 'strongest team', or how the rule would be enforced, but a significant number of changes would likely put Chelsea, and all other teams, at risk of a breach.

The Mail claim, however, that Maresca 'believes rotation is necessary' given the fixture congestion and high temperatures in the stadium - with FIFA insiders reportedly admitting that the rule itself would be difficult to police.

A similar rule was enforced by the Premier League, but was loosened in 2011 after Blackpool were fined £25,000 for making 10 changes ahead of a game against Aston Villa.

Tangerines boss Ian Holloway threatened to resign if his club were punished, but ultimately decided to stay in charge.

Holloway said he had made the changes due to his side playing four games in 12 days, and fumed: "How dare anybody tell me the players I've been working with, I can't treat them with respect and give them a chance."