Club World Cup expansion could create a 'Bruno Fernandes problem' no club wants

The expansion of the Club World Cup could create a 'Bruno Fernandes problem' which no club wants to face.

The first edition of the newly expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup kicks off on 15 June and runs for a month, with an eye-watering prize pot of $1 billion (£740 million).

Several European giants will compete in the US, including: Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City and Chelsea.

But FIFA are already looking to further expand the competition to 48 teams ahead of the 2029 edition, according to a report in The Guardian, as long as this tournament is a success.

Currently the number of European representatives is capped at 12, meaning the only way to bring in sides like Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United and Milan is through expanding the competition.

FIFA would also have to relax their rule that there can only be two representatives from the same country, but this is expected to be something they would consider at the consultation.

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The main reason that clubs want to be involved in the Club World Cup is the huge financial incentive.

The winners of next month's tournament will earn up to $125.8 million (£93.2 million), which is just £25 million less than PSG received for their entire Champions League winning campaign.

But for players, it will place even more strain on what is already a confested football calendar.

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What is the Bruno Fernandes problem?

Fernandes has won significant praise for his incredible injury record since joining Manchester United, having barely missed a match.

But this has created an over-reliance on the midfielder, who is now expected to play every game for both United and his country Portugal.

A recent graphic on X from Football on TNT Sports highlighted just how much football he has played.

Fernandes has racked up an astonishing 22,823 minutes for Manchester United and Portugal, which is the most of any player in Europe's top five leagues.

The next two players on the list are both goalkeepers: Real Sociedad's Alex Remiro and Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak, who have 21,576 and 21,273 minutes respectively.

How did fans react?

Many supporters praised Fernandes' availability. @Mattyokoh3 wrote: "Man is never injured."

@sungyy04 said: "That's a crazy stat. Considering that it’s so much easier to get minutes as a keeper. My captain."

But some fans saw it a sign that he has played too much football in recent seasons.

"This isn’t a good stat," @ReinildoStan added.

With another potential expansion of the Club World Cup, football's already congested calendar looks set to become even more packed.