Players’ union FIFPRO and the top European leagues have complained about FIFA’s expansion of the international match calendar to the European Commission.
The complaint – filed by executives from FIFPRO, the European Leagues and LaLiga – focuses on the men’s international match calendar and specifies the expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup to 32 teams from 2025 and the FIFA World Cup to 46 teams come 2026.
FIFPRO says the new football calendar infringes European Union competition law and “risks player safety and well-being and threatens the economic and social sustainability of important national competitions which have been enjoyed for generations by fans in Europe and across the world”.
The complaint also says FIFA’s actions are “abusive” and “unjustified” and accuses the world football governing body’s dominant position in the game as “indisputable”.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters gave a statement as the complaint was published, saying: “It is getting to a tipping point. The feedback we have from players is that there is too much football being played and there is constant expansion.
“The Premier League hasn’t changed shape. What has changed over the last few decades is the march of international and regional football competitions.”
Meanwhile, SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said in his own statement: “Calendar congestion isn’t a fresh problem in professional football. But with this constant addition of international fixtures, we’ve reached a saturation point and it is becoming increasingly challenging to manage domestic competitions.
“Over the long term it could harm our operations, our financial sustainability and ultimately the quality of our product.”
The complaint comes after a number of top European players complained about the workload from a player welfare perspective, including Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
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Manchester City midfielder Rodri has hinted at player strikes due to too many fixtures – Paul Merson gives his thoughts on those comments
The Spaniard warned that players could be close to striking over the number of matches they are being asked to play, before succumbing to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which ended his season at the end of September.
“I think we are close to [a strike],” said Rodri in September, weeks before his injury. “If you ask any player, they will say the same. It’s the general opinion of the players.
“If it keeps [going] this way, there will be a moment where we have no other option, but let’s see. It’s something that worries us because we are the ones who suffer.”
Team-mate Manuel Akanji, Tottenham captain Heung-Min Son and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson – who is also currently sidelined with an injury – have also voiced concerns over the additional workloads facing elite professionals.
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Spurs captain Heung-Min Son says he wants to ‘reduce’ the number of matches and adds that players aren’t robots
Earlier this month, it was revealed that teams participating in next summer’s expanded Club World Cup will have to take their strongest squads and field their strongest teams.
FIFA’s expanded new 32-team tournament is scheduled to take place in the United States from June 15 to July 13 next summer.
Manchester City and Chelsea are the only English teams taking part and FIFA regulations mean they will not be able to allow any players to miss the tournament after a long season of domestic and European football.
Are players playing more than ever? The stats say no…
Sky Sports Visual Data journalist Conor O’Neill:
The graphic below shows that top-division teams averaged 53.5 games across all competitions in 1985/86 – almost six more than the 47.9 games played by Premier League clubs last season.
Unsurprisingly, the average dropped significantly from 1995/96 onwards, when the league was reduced from 22 to 20 teams.
While successful teams inevitably play more as they advance in cup competitions, there’s no clear upward trend in the number of games played by the busiest clubs each season.
Longer European campaigns, fewer domestic cup matches
This season, the Champions League has expanded from 125 to 189 games per campaign. By contrast, the European Cup in the 1980s never had more than 61 games in a single season.
So, why isn’t fixture congestion increasing alongside these more demanding European schedules?
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola shares Rodri’s concern for player welfare and suggests the mental toll of the relentless playing schedule perhaps outweigh the physical demands
The answer lies in domestic cup competitions: clubs are playing fewer games in these competitions, offsetting the impact of the additional European fixtures.
First Division clubs in 1985/86 contested an average of 11.5 domestic cup games, almost double the average recorded in 2023/24.
However, teams outside the top six have benefited most from the reduced number of domestic cup fixtures.
While the additional European games have kept top-six clubs playing more than 50 matches a season over the decades, those lower down the table now face far lighter schedules.
Rotation on the rise
Teams aren’t just playing fewer matches than they did 20 years ago; they’re also better equipped to manage workloads.
Larger squads and the introduction of the permanent five-substitution rule in 2022/23 has provided an opportunity for more players to earn game time.
The impact of this rule change was immediate, with a sharp rise in the number of players featuring 10 or more times in a Premier League season.
This rotation has lightened the load on the team’s core XI. Last season, these key players featured in only 70.8 per cent of all available league minutes – the lowest percentage over the past 14 Premier League campaigns.
Clubs are also rotating more in domestic cup competitions. Last season, 476 players appeared in domestic cup games – far more than the 426 players in 2012/13.
International games also on rise
Focusing only on club matches ignores the extra load elite players face when representing their countries.
With the expansion of the European Championship and World Cup, international teams are playing more than ever. England have averaged 13.4 games a year this decade – on track for a record high.
Despite the rise in international games, the number of matches played by the Premier League’s busiest players has remained steady over the past decade.
Even with packed club and international schedules, player workloads have remained surprisingly consistent.
FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup and World Cup will undoubtedly add to the burden placed on players.
However, with the domestic calendar significantly scaled back compared to 20 years ago, it’s unlikely we’ll see record levels of fixture congestion.
Increased intensity, growing strain
Although the total number of games hasn’t changed drastically, the increasing intensity of modern football means that even a stable schedule takes a greater toll on players.
The number of sprints per match has steadily risen over the last three seasons, nearing 140 sprints a match in 2023/24.
This heightened intensity has led to a greater risk of injuries, pushing players to their physical limits. In the 2023/24 season alone, Premier League players missed over 25,000 combined days due to injury, underscoring the physical demands of the modern game.
