Manchester City: Pep Guardiola wants the 2025/26 matches postponed after the Club World Cup

“I think the club has asked the league to postpone one, two or three weeks so that we can have a holiday after the World Cup (Club), but that is absolutely not allowed. Will the Premier League say yes to us? No. Absolutely not.”

However, following discussions with City and Premier League officials, the BBC has learned that there has been no formal request.

The Premier League has not yet confirmed the start date for the 2025-2026 season. However, if recent seasons are any guide, the competition will start on either August 9 or 16, with the Community Shield – which City have been involved in for six of the past seven seasons – being played the week before.

City and Chelsea are involved in the Club World Cup next summer.

The BBC has learned that there have been informal discussions, with Premier League officials saying the issue has been created by an extended international calendar over which they have no control.

Guardiola is among a number of senior City staff who have concluded that the outcome of these informal discussions is that the current English champions should carry on as normal.

In the Covid-affected 2020/21 season, City and Manchester United were allowed to start a week later than the rest of the Premier League as they both took part in the specially created ‘Super Eight’ competitions at the end of the Champions League. and Europa Leagues in the previous season.

That meant they only finished the 2019-2020 season on August 15 and 16 respectively, four weeks before the first matches of the new season took place.

Wolves, who had played their last European match on August 11, did play in the opening round, but their match against Sheffield United was moved to Monday, September 14.

World governing body FIFA has told all clubs at the Club World Cup to use their strongest available squads.

“They will not postpone these games, so there will be a moment of ‘what should we do?’” Guardiola added.

“I don’t have an answer at this point, but we’re going to make a common sense decision.”