Fatigue? The World Cup players with the toughest seasons

Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk will arrive at the World Cup with Netherlands after a gruelling season for club and country By Dale Johnson Football issues correspondent Published 29 minutes ago Football does not seem to have stopped for the last three summers. In 2024 we had continental competitions like the Euros, then came the Club World Cup, and now we have the World Cup. You could not blame some of the world's top players for feeling the strain of the game. The summer of 2025 would usually have been the opportunity to rest. Instead, Fifa placed its expanded Club World Cup into that slot. That tournament featured 74 players who are at the World Cup, some barely having a break in three years. How will the fatigue built up over the last 12 months affect the star players? BBC Sport looked at the total minutes played - for club and country - by every member of the 26-man squads of the top 10 countries in the Fifa world rankings. The numbers are taken from 15 June, 2025 - the day the controversial Club World Cup kicked off. Which national teams will go into this tournament carrying lots of minutes? And which players are most impacted? France go into the World Cup with the most fatigued squad Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Michael Olise has made 65 appearances for Bayern Munich and France over the past 12 months France must battle with both heat and fatigue if they are to win the World Cup for a third time. Didier Deschamps' squad have been in action more than any of the leading nations, with 1,341 matches totalling 98,895 minutes. Crystal Palace central defender Maxence Lacroix has the most starts (58) and minutes (5,009) of the France players, but the 26-year-old is only expected to be a squad pick for Les Bleus. Bayern Munich forward Michael Olise (65), coincidentally a former Palace player, has made the most appearances but by coming off the bench 12 times he is second on minutes played (4,942). Olise is one of 11 France players who featured at the Club World Cup. Portugal also had 11 with only Germany, on 12, having more in action in the United States last summer. In the squad top 10 we find Portugal in second, with 1,299 matches and 96,405 minutes. Roberto Martinez's squad would have been closer to the top had Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot seen more cup action with Manchester United. The Red Devils failed to quality for Europe and played only one match in both the FA Cup and the EFL Cup. Paris St-Germain midfielder Vitinha played the most games (66) in reaching the final of the Club World Cup and winning the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo started all 44 matches he played for Al Nassr and Portugal. England are third, with Thomas Tuchel's men having played more games (1,304) than Portugal but made fewer starts (1,051 to 1,092). The workload on Harry Kane could be a concern with the captain - who is 33 next month - playing 63 games for Bayern Munich. Morgan Rogers is the most played,