According to a report released on Tuesday, the increasing number of injuries among top soccer players cost nearly $800 million to teams in Europe’s major leagues last season.
With growing worries about the number of games players are expected to play, the Men’s European Football Injury Index found there were 4,123 injuries in the top leagues of England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France during the 2023-24 season.
The injury costs were calculated based on the reported salaries of the affected players and the duration of their time off the field.
The report pointed out that clubs are feeling more pressure due to the newly expanded Club World Cup, which will be held in the U.S. next year.
Injuries have increased every year since the index was first created in 2021, and the latest report suggested that this trend will likely continue.
“The squad depth of clubs will continue to be tested, particularly with the impending introduction of the new FIFA Men’s Club World Cup in 2025,” it stated.
The index is produced by the sports insurance company Howden. Its release followed a formal complaint by a players’ union and European leagues to the European Union against FIFA.
The new 32-team Club World Cup, increased from seven, has faced ongoing criticism regarding player welfare since the new format was announced last year.
Last month, Manchester City midfielder Rodri mentioned that players were close to striking due to the rising demands, including the expanded Champions League this year. He suffered a season-ending knee injury just days after making those remarks.
The football index has noted a rise in injuries even before the new Club World Cup and Champions League formats were introduced.
Since the 2020-21 season, there have been 14,292 injuries (not counting COVID-19) in the top five European leagues, costing $2.5 billion based on reported salaries. Last season, the total was $798 million.
On average, there was an injury every 92 minutes of soccer played in those leagues.
German teams experienced the highest number of injuries per game (1.72) and filled the top 13 spots for injury susceptibility, accounting for 15 of the top 20 teams.
In contrast, the top four teams least affected by injuries were all from the French league.
The report also highlighted a “concerning trend” regarding players under 21, who are seeing an increase in serious injuries.
