FIFA has changed the men’s international calendar for the 2026-2030 period by merging the September and October international breaks into one.
Currently, there are separate international windows beginning in the first full week of September and the second full week of October — the current window — with each nation playing a maximum of two matches in each.
From 2026 onwards, this will be condensed into one period which covers the final full week of September and early October, in which each nation can participate in a maximum of four matches. The change means that clubs across the Premier League and other top European leagues will have around three weeks without football from September 21.
Though the alteration does not change the number of international matches played in the September-October period, it reduces the total length of international breaks. At present, the two international windows each bring a two-week break from club matches but the change instead will mean one three-week gap, which provides extra time for club fixtures.
There are currently five international breaks each year — in March, June, September, October and November — with each lasting two weeks and allowing nations to play a maximum of 10 matches, aside from major tournaments such as the World Cup, European Championship, Copa America, Africa Cup of Nations, Gold Cup or Asian Cup.
The decision to merge the two windows was made at the FIFA Council meeting in March 2023. The council, which discusses and determines changes to the match calendar, is comprised of representatives from each of FIFA’s six continental governing bodies and relevant stakeholders.
The first of the new windows, in 2026, will see the first four matches of the 2026-27 Nations League campaign for European countries.
For the Premier League and other top European leagues, the final set of fixtures before the international break will take place over the weekend of September 19-20, 2026, before resuming three weeks later on the weekend of October 10-11.
(Top photo: Nikolay Doychinov/AFP via Getty Images)
