FIFA reduce number of international breaks during Premier League season BUT… | OneFootball

International breaks are one of the worst things about modern day football for Newcastle United fans and supporters of other Premier League clubs.

Throughout the season, a number of times where proper football is put on hold, whilst endless friendlies and qualifiers for World Cups, European Championships and so on are played at international level.

Currently there are four international breaks during a Premier League season, with club football put on hold for a fortnight in each of September, October, November and March.

The breaking news (see below) is that as from next (2026/27) season, there will be three of these international breaks instead of four.

There is a but though, a big BUT.

Whilst there will be one international break less, the reality is that many Newcastle United fans and supporters of other clubs will see the new scenario as being just as bad.

Instead of having a fortnight-long international break in September and a separate fortnight-long one in October, there will now be a combined September/October international break that is THREE weeks long. The idea is that the various international teams can then play four matches in this one extended break, rather than two in September and two in October.

So for Newcastle United fans and others, we will then have a period not long after the season has kicked off, of three weeks with no proper football.

Last week in September and first couple of weeks of October, then when club football returns in mid-October it will only a matter of weeks before the usual two week international break in November happens. This 2025/26 season, the October international break ends with Newcastle playing again on Saturday 18 October away at Brighton but then only 22 days later (Sunday 9 November) is the final Premier League match (NUFC away at Brentford) before the players head off for the November 2025 internationals.

‘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.’

On the positive side it cuts the international breaks in October and November from a combined four weeks to three weeks. However, if fans had been given a say (perish the thought!), I don’t think I would have voted for this change to a massive three week block with no club football instead.