If you’re currently enjoying this month’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers and other international matches, savor every moment, as this marks the last October international break in its current format.
This change stems from a significant update to FIFA’s international match windows, which was unanimously approved by the FIFA Council in 2023 as part of a broader reform of the international competition schedule for both men’s and women’s soccer.
Consequently, Tuesday’s friendly match between Mexico and Ecuador will be the very last game played during an October international break in its existing structure.
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Starting next year, FIFA will revise the international match calendar, eliminating the current two-week breaks in both September and October. Instead, these will be combined into a single, condensed three-week break during those months.
The new international match schedule will feature three standard nine-day breaks in March, June, and November, as well as an extended 16-day break beginning in late September and continuing into early October. This longer window will enable teams to potentially play up to four matches if they choose.
However, these changes may not satisfy everyone, including Arsène Wenger, FIFA’s chief of global football development. In a 2021 interview, the former Arsenal manager expressed a desire to significantly reduce the current five international breaks while keeping the number of matches unchanged.
Wenger proposed a “gamble” to consolidate the breaks into just two (in October and March) or even a single one (in October) for a total duration of one month, aiming to lessen player workload and address the “chaos” and “overcrowding” in the modern game.
This sounds promising; however, if a player were to get injured during that time, they could find themselves sidelined from international play for many months, possibly the entire year.
FIFA’s decision to merge the September and October breaks could offer relief to fans who are weary of the club season being interrupted three times in a matter of months at the beginning of the season. Still, the impact of experiencing three consecutive weeks without their team playing won’t be fully understood until next year. At that point, fans may learn to be cautious about what they wish for.