Is it a blessing or a curse? Fans may disagree depending on whether they primarily support a club or prefer to watch the international game. Whatever their feeling, the soccer calendar has just entered the longest non-tournament men's international break.
FIFA restructured its international match calendar, taking input from other stakeholders, and found that top clubs and players preferred fewer interruptions in the fall.
"FIFA’s objective in this process is to make a football calendar that is 'fit-for-purpose' for modern needs, contributing for the improvement of the quality of players, clubs and national teams and giving both incentive and opportunity for the detection and development of talent outside a small number of countries," the organization
stated when it released the calendar.
International managers, too, may prefer the change. Most national team coaches are pining for more time with their players. This longer camp gives them the chance to work on concepts longer, get to know their squad better and get data from up to four matches.
Once players return to their clubs, they can keep their full focus there before another November international window - then it's full steam ahead in the club game until March.
Full FIFA men's international match calendar through summer 2028
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is the September-October FIFA international window so long?
