Although the official squads have yet to be announced, the list of absentees will include more than just those who failed to qualify. Injuries will keep several high-profile players away from the tournament.

Players are left sitting in the locker room, cooling down, losing both tactical focus and physical readiness, only to return to the pitch with cold muscles to finish the game. During the Club World Cup, play was suspended six times due to storms; in the Benfica vs Auckland City match alone, the delay stretched to nearly two hours. Enzo Maresca, head coach of eventual winners Chelsea, was blunt in his assessment.