Pep Guardiola has raised concerns that Manchester City are set for another dispute with the Premier League—this time over the scheduling of their opening fixtures for the 2025-26 season.

The City manager revealed that the Premier League has refused a request from the club to postpone their first matches of the 2025-26 campaign due to their involvement in next summer's Club World Cup.

City are concerned about player fatigue, as their season could extend until 13 July if they reach the final of FIFA’s expanded 32-team tournament, which will be held in the United States. This would leave the squad with only a four-week period to accommodate both player holidays and pre-season preparations before the start of the Premier League, potentially shortened further if City participate in the Community Shield.

Guardiola said that the club’s requests for a delay have so far been ignored, and he does not expect the Premier League to reconsider.

This issue arises amid already strained relations between City and the Premier League, as the club faces a hearing regarding 115 alleged rule breaches, including accusations of non-cooperation with an ongoing investigation.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of City’s match against Fulham, Guardiola stated: “The Premier League has not allowed us—nor Chelsea, nor any of the teams involved in the World Cup—the option to postpone the first two games to allow for more recovery time. Thank you so much! They refuse to reschedule these games.

“I believe the club asked the Premier League to postpone the first or second match by one, two, or even three weeks, perhaps playing in midweek, to provide an additional week or two for holidays following the World Cup.”

When asked to confirm whether the request had been rejected, Guardiola responded: “Absolutely. Will the Premier League say yes to us? No, absolutely not. It’s not going to happen.”

The Premier League was contacted for comment regarding Guardiola’s statements.

City sources confirmed that enquiries were made about the possibility of postponing fixtures, though no formal request has been submitted. However, the club has not been given the impression that a postponement would be feasible.

The Premier League finds itself in a challenging situation due to the inclusion of the Club World Cup—also featuring Chelsea—on the calendar, which would traditionally be a quieter summer period. Delaying the start of the 2025-26 season presents complications, as it concludes with the next international World Cup. Additionally, the recent expansion of European club competitions has reduced the number of available midweek dates for rescheduled fixtures.

Guardiola is certain that his players will suffer from exhaustion by the summer.

“It’s inevitable,” he said. “I’m not sure if we’ll play more games than the treble-winning season, maybe fewer, but the major difference is that when the season finishes and you would normally go on holiday, we’ll have to head to the States for the World Cup. That’s when we’ll face the real struggle.”

FIFA has indicated that clubs will be expected to field their strongest squads for the tournament.

Guardiola commented: “We’ll take the full squad, but I don’t understand how anyone can suggest one player is stronger than another.

“I will decide who plays. That decision will be mine, without question.”