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The Premier League is set to have its first 16-day international break this season after FIFA combined the traditional September and October international windows into one extended period from September 21 to October 6.
The league will complete Matchweek 5 on September 20 before the break, with Matchweek 6 scheduled to resume on October 10.
During the extended window, European nations will compete in UEFA Nations League fixtures, while African countries will play two Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches.
CONCACAF teams will also feature in Nations League group-stage matches and international friendlies.
The United States and Mexico, who have already secured places in the quarter-finals, will use the period to play friendly matches.
Asian nations will play friendlies in preparation for the Asian Cup in January 2027, following the conclusion of Asian Cup qualifying, while several South American countries are also scheduled to play friendlies.
As retrieved on Wednesday from the EPL website from a September report, previously, there were four nine-day international breaks during the Premier League campaign—in September, October, November and March—with each country playing two matches per window.
However, this season, the “September and October breaks have been merged into one 16-day period, during which countries will play four matches rather than the standard two.”
“With many players in Europe representing countries in Africa and South America, the idea behind the new calendar is to reduce the number of separate periods in which players fly across continents.
“It will also reduce disruption by cutting the number of breaks between the start of the season and the end of the year from three to two,” the Premier League said.
The changes were unanimously approved by the FIFA Council in 2023, with player welfare a factor in the decision.
The breaks can effectively feel longer for Premier League clubs because players return from national-team duty before playing again the following weekend.
“The breaks tend to feel more like two weeks – or three weeks in the case of the new longer window – as players return to clubs and do not play until the following weekend,” the league said.
