FIFA President, Gianni Infantino. (Image: PA)
FIFA President, Gianni Infantino. (Image: PA)
FIFA have confirmed a significant change to the football calendar which will see Blackburn Rovers fans have to wait three weeks for club football next season.
Each season, there are four breaks for international football. Those are September, October, November and March. Each is considered to be a 'two-game window' lasting nine days, although there is no club football in the Premier League or the Championship for two weeks during that period.
However, FIFA have now confirmed that from 2026/27, until 2030, the September and October international breaks will merge.
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This means that the international break will run from late September until early October - lasting 16 days, making it a four-match window.
As a result, there will be no club football in the Premier League or Championship for three weeks in that period. The remainder of the calendar will stay the same, meaning there will still be breaks in November and March.
While the changes do make for a longer international period, the alteration does ensure that there is one less week of international action over the course of a domestic season.
On top of that, next summer's World Cup in North America will take place between June 11th and July 19th, with the new season due to start on August 8th (Championship).
The FIFA Council also unanimously approved the establishment of a dedicated task force on player welfare to ensure the smooth implementation of player welfare principles such as mandatory rest periods.
“FIFA promoted a truly global approach to the discussions on the International Match Calendar, which considered the perspectives of all key stakeholders,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“Our fundamental objective is to have clarity on this topic, and to have meaningful football matches while protecting the well-being of the players and recognising that many regions need more competitive football.”