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Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues below<ul><li>UCL and World Cup to expand</li><li>Mbappe latest player to highlight issues</li><li>Claims 'NBA model' won't give fans value for money</li></ul><script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script>

'We are approaching the NBA model' - Kylian Mbappe braced for '70-game seasons' with Champions League & World Cup expansions as PSG star warns fans won't get value for money

Ligue 1

Metz

Paris Saint-Germain

Friendlies

France

Luxembourg

UEFA's elite-level club competition will take on an unprecedented shape next term, with the old group stages scrapped <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/news/champions-league-format-changes-how-many-teams--new-tournament-structure-explained/1cdo233h37uoh1srmrqwyq243m" target="_blank">in a new league and knockout format</a> that will see an extra four teams take part and an extra two group matches added. FIFA also announced their own <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/club-world-cup-2025-how-qualification-works-list-qualified-teams/bltac42bd2227f80540" target="_blank">32-team Club World Cup from 2025</a>, alongside the expanded international tournament from 2026, which <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/world-cup-2026-fifa-104-game-format-usa-canada-mexico-three-team-groups-scrapped/blt7f41cb1de2aa37c4" target="_blank">welcomes 16 new nations in a 48-team competition</a>.Speaking with <a href="https://www.gqmagazine.fr/article/kylian-mbappe-je-suis-arrive-a-un-stade-de-ma-vie-et-de-ma-carriere-ou-je-ne-veux-plus-forcer-les-choses?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social" target="_blank">GQ</a>, Mbappe admitted that he doesn't mind playing more often, but feels the quality of football will suffer as a result.

WHAT HAPPENED?

The PSG forward said: "We are approaching the NBA model with seventy-game seasons. Personally I am not against playing so much, but we will not be able to be good every time and give the public the expected show. In the NBA, players do not play every match and franchises practice load management [resting squad members who are not injured]. But, today, if I decided to say 'I'm tired, I'm not playing on Saturday', it wouldn't work. The spectator who pays for his ticket, and who will perhaps see you only once in the season, wants to witness a performance worthy of the name and that is normal. However, it is a different mode of management to which football is exposed if the number of matches increases. I don't want to give lessons, but we must think together to succeed in offering the best possible show and for players, spectators and authorities to come together.”

WHAT MBAPPE SAID

Mbappe is not the first player to highlight potential issues about football's seemingly endless expansion. His former France team-mate Raphael Varane was more serious in his opposition, claiming that <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/raphael-varane-france-retirement-man-utd-defender-shorter-careers-condensed-football-schedule/blt6cd887239415c0dd" target="_blank">players' careers will be made "much shorter"</a> as a result of playing too often. Indeed, this season has seen an unprecedented number of injuries, with Premier League clubs alone boasting a combined 161 players sidelined at this present moment (per <a href="https://www.premierinjuries.com/injury-table.php" target="_blank">Premierinjuries.com</a>).

THE BIGGER PICTURE

While the Frenchman will no doubt be vying for another world crown in 2026, it remains unclear where he will be playing his club football in the near future. <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/dont-care-kylian-mbappe-real-madrid-rumours-lie-psg-boss-luis-enrique-angry-rant-experience/blt2d7fd7961b30ea46" target="_blank">Real Madrid remain firmly in the race</a> for the 25-year-old forward this summer, while a <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/how-liverpool-could-beat-real-madrid-transfer-psg-kylian-mbappe-explained/blt1b238ed588f35f58" target="_blank">Premier League move has not been ruled out</a>, although some in Paris see him <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/explained-how-friends-scupper-real-madrid-kylian-mbappe-transfer-plan-former-psg-boss-snub-la-liga-giants/blt913c1c95ed755d5f" target="_blank">staying at the Ligue 1 club</a>.

WHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE?

'We are approaching the NBA model' - Kylian Mbappe braced for '70-game seasons' with Champions League & World Cup expansions as PSG star warns fans won't get value for money | Goal.com

Paris Saint-Germain talisman Kylian Mbappe has warned of the dangers of overworking players, amid expanded Champions League and World Cup formats.

&apos;We are approaching the NBA model&apos; - Kylian Mbappe braced for &apos;70-game seasons&apos; with Champions League &amp; World Cup expansions as PSG star warns fans won&apos;t get value for money

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