Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says top flight will not be 'forced' into reduction to 18 teams
Published 01/08/2025 at 15:19 GMT+1
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The Premier League will not be cut from 20 to 18 clubs, according to chief executive Richard Masters. There is mounting concern about the busy schedule at the top of world football, and there has been talk of a potential reduction in size of top leagues like in France's Ligue 1, which was cut to 18 teams in 2023/24. But Masters said the Premier League will not be "forced" to change.
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Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says the English top flight will not be reduced from 20 to 18 clubs.
There is growing concern about the congested football calendar, highlighted by this summer's FIFA Club World Cup, which finished just over a month before the start of the 2025/26 Premier League season.
World governing body FIFA are facing pressure around the number of matches at the top level, with the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico on the horizon.
But Masters insisted there will be no changes to the make-up of the Premier League - such as Ligue 1's decrease to 18 teams in 2023/24.
"I don't think we should be forced into that decision," he told BBC Sport.
"I am all for the growth of the game and the exciting competitions our clubs can participate in - but not at the expense of domestic football."
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Asked about the impact of the FIFA Club World Cup, Masters said: "The jury is out about the competitiveness of the format and the scheduling and the underlying economics, but it is not my job to assess the success or otherwise of the Club World Cup.
"It is my job to assess whether these new competitions have an impact on the domestic calendar and domestic competitions, of which the Premier League is one.
"Since 1994, the Premier League has been 380 matches, 20 clubs. We haven't changed shape at all.
"Now we are now starting to redesign our domestic calendar at the altar of European and global expansion.
"We are asking the players to play in more matches. There has to be, at the top of the game, a proper dialogue between FIFA and all the stakeholders about how these things go forward. That has been sadly missing."
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Club World Cup champions Chelsea and England's other entrants Manchester City requested a delayed start to the Premier League season after their involvement in the tournament, but they were denied.
Masters, though, suggested FIFA should consider the impact of new and expanded competitions on domestic leagues.
"It is the butterfly impact of decisions taken beyond our influence by other footballing bodies that directly impact on domestic leagues," he added.
"When you finish a tournament in mid-July and have to provide the players with three weeks' break, there is only a week to go before the start of the season.
"It doesn't add up. It puts us in unnecessary conflict with our own clubs. It's not just those involved in the Club World Cup. It is the clubs they are playing for, and we have to be fair to everyone."
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