"A disaster." That's how one European federation official described FIFA's new 16-day international break — and the evidence is hard to argue with. Kylian Mbappé missed too many games through injury. Erling Haaland had to be hauled off in Norway's fourth match. Coaches at smaller federations were stretched beyond capacity. And fans and sponsors were quietly furious about the cost.
The verdict came from multiple federation officials speaking anonymously on the sidelines of a closed-door UEFA meeting in Berlin on Thursday. Only Azerbaijan, out of 55 UEFA member federations, reportedly spoke in clear defence of FIFA's calendar management. That's one voice against 54. The silence from the rest said everything.
What the new format actually means
The change condensed what used to be two separate two-game breaks in September and October into a single 16-day, four-game block. The idea had logic behind it — fewer interruptions to domestic seasons, less long-haul travel for players based far from home. European clubs had pushed for exactly this kind of compression for years.
In practice, it created a different problem. Players came back broken or exhausted, and clubs lost rhythm for two-and-a-half weeks instead of one. Borussia Dortmund's Niko Kovač — who knows international football from two years coaching Croatia — put it plainly: "We now have the issue of not only having the occasional player coming back injured, but also the fact that you go two or 2½ weeks without any momentum. We're all starting from scratch now, in a sense."
That's the real cost clubs are absorbing. It's not just the injuries — it's the reset. Every training rhythm, every tactical build-up, interrupted for the best part of three weeks.
Haaland's situation puts City's week in sharp relief
Norway coach Stale Solbakken substituted Haaland in the second half of a loss to Portugal on Sunday, noting the schedule is "more brutal" for players who featured deep into the expanded 48-team World Cup — Norway reached the quarterfinals, playing into July. Haaland now heads straight into a week that includes a trip to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday and a Champions League home fixture against PSG on Wednesday.
City's odds in both competitions carry a different weight when their striker has just been managed off a pitch by his national coach. Whether he's carrying something or simply fatigued, the timing couldn't be less convenient.
UEFA has said it will gather feedback before considering a formal submission to FIFA. But the four-game September-October block is locked into the international calendar through 2030. Next year, those matches become UEFA qualifiers for the 2028 European Championship. The format isn't going anywhere — the frustration just has to live alongside it.
- Only Azerbaijan defended FIFA's calendar management among 55 UEFA member federations
- The 16-day block combined what were previously two separate two-game breaks
- Norway played into July at the World Cup before Haaland's Nations League involvement
- The four-game block format is fixed in the FIFA calendar through 2030
European teams reconvene on November 9 to complete their Nations League group stages — two matches this time, not four. Smaller mercies.
