World Cup U-turn and international break plan sparks new player burnout fear

14 March 2023 , 18:05

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There will be a new international calendar of matches to take place in March, June, September/October and November (Image: Getty Images)

FIFA has done a U-turn and gone back to having Groups of four teams at the next World Cup.

Football’s world governing body also unveiled a new-look match calendar - but that came with a warning from the players’ union about burnout.

The 2026 World Cup in United States, Mexico and Canada was due to feature 16 groups of three because the number of teams is increasing from 32 to 48.

But after the success in Qatar of the Group stage and the drama of the final round of matches, FIFA has decided to stick with four teams at their council meeting in Rwanda.

FIFA also unveiled plans for a new international calendar of matches to take place in March, June, September/October and November. All of the windows will be nine days with two games bar at the end of September and start of October which will be 16 days with four games.

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FIFA pledged to set up a “task force on player welfare” after pressure from the Professional Footballers’ Association as president Gianni Infantino met with Premier League captains last season amid concerns about the match calendar which will start from 2025.

Gianni Infantino has pushed through with implementing a new international match calendar (PA)

PFA chief executive Maheta Molango welcomed the task force but questioned whether the new-look schedule would put too much pressure on players and said: “Fundamentally, the football calendar needs a complete reset.

“The expanded World Cup format being announced for 2026 means that, yet again, more games are being forced into an already overcrowded schedule.

“It is right that FIFA have listened to players’ concerns and announced a working group to address the critical issues surrounding fixture congestion and player welfare.

PFA chief executive Maheta Molango has questioned whether the new-look schedule would put too much pressure on players (Ian Tuttle/REX/Shutterstock)

"It is also encouraging to see that key concerns raised with FIFA by the PFA, such as the need for a minimum of 72 hours between games, a mandatory day off each week, and an annual rest period, are being prioritised.

“When Gianni Infantino came to Manchester to meet with us last year, these were the changes that our Premier League and WSL members said they wanted to see.

“However, it’s very difficult to see how that aligns with the constant expansion of the domestic and international calendar.

“We know that the current workload players face is having an ongoing impact on their wellbeing, both on and off the pitch. We can’t simply push them until they break.”

John Cross