FIFA International Match Calendar: Proposed Changes & General Discussion

UEFA doesn't decide the IMC, FIFA does. All UEFA does is design its NT competitions to fit the IMC and maximise fan engagement and they are very successful at doing that.

The new formats for UNL and European Qualifiers will increase fan engagement without adding any extra games to the calendar.

https://www.uefa.com/european-quali...ts-for-uefa-men-s-national-team-competitions/

 

Before the UNL half the international games were meaningless friendlies. That means players didn't have to give 100% and marginal players got more minutes.

The UNL significantly increased the competitiveness of games, meaning more appearances, more fatigue and more chance of injury, for no more, or little more, money. The players just accepted it.

 

Here's some visual context (clickable).

 

No, you start with domestic leagues because those with more than 18 clubs are too large because they have to play midweek MDs in order to complete what is essentially a 10-month 38-game season in the standard 9-month European league season.

The expansion of the European club competitions with the new formats was also based on the assumption that domestic leagues would reduce to 18 clubs - see France approving it but Italy rejecting it - because the original proposal which was approved by UEFA in 2021 and subsequently modified had 10 games in the league phase.

 

The Premier League didn't consider it on that basis although it was widely reported that the big 6 wanted to reduce the league to 18 and get rid of the League Cup and Community Shield.

 

Agree. The size of first divisions (18 v 20 teams) and the expanded Club WC are the 2 things really at the heart of this discussion. With only 34 league matches, leagues would be able to afford to start the season in late-August, which would provide players engaged in summer tournaments a proper rest between seasons. Either that or they only have 1 league match per week.

And of course, the expanded CWC because that precisely targets the teams/players that are already the most overused. Yup, FIFA logic is that it financially benefits the rest of the world, yet UEFA teams will be involved in 80-90% of the CWC matches and rake-in the most money. And its not much money anyway as Ancelotti highlighted.

After that the super cups. They are only 1 or 2 extra matches but again they target the players that are most fatigued.

 

Supercups at domestic level being scrapped will only mean the clubs will play another friendly, as it's being fitted in as more or less the final testing friendly by those two clubs.
So no, scrapping at domestic level means nothing.

 

If you cut the Premier League to 18 that's 2 fewer home games, so $15 to $20 million in matchday revenue (tickets + concessions + sponsorship) for the biggest clubs.

 

??
Do you think

Feyenoord and PSV wouldnot play today another match in preparation for next weekend start of the season if the supercup would be scrapped?

 

Yes but you make the other games more valuable because they become higher stakes games, so attendances and viewership would increase across the league.

If FIFA could mandate that every premier league in the world had to be capped at 18 clubs you would not only improve domestic club football as a product but you would also create the space in the calendar for the expanded Club WC without any other significant change having to be made.

Such a simple solution.

 

All the big games sell out anyway. There's not much room for upsell.

 

Yup, it would mean loss of revenues that can only be recovered by upping the prices.

 

Politically that won't be acceptable in the UK especially now the government is taking a more active role in governance.

 

Not sure what you are trying to say. I am guessing you are saying that Super cups don't increase burden on players because if there was no super cup they would have just played another preseason friendly today instead.

Of course, that totally depends on how seriously the 2 teams take the super cup. If they treat it like a preseason match and field B- or C-team players and make 5 subs at halftime, then sure - you are right. But is that really what they did?

 

No, it's the last match before the season starts, so you play the top squad possible to build stamina and (as the new coach implements a new system) and rapport between the players on the pitch, but given nobody is 90 minutes match fit, in this match all possible subs were used to prevent injuries.
If it was a practice match instead of an official match, maybe the number of subs would've been 2 more as 2 Feyenoord players struggled in the last 10 minutes..
The intensity wouldnot be lower for a practice friendly.

 

Which CWC? There are 2.

 

lol

There's only one Club WC and it now has a 32-team format!

 

2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup - Wikipedia

This is still planned to continue on an annual basis. Not sure why, but its currently planned.

 

It is continuing probably cause FIFA still wants to make money off of it.
CONMEBOL and UEFA probably would have done it on their own and FIFA would have been left in the cold if not for this format where the Euro teams just play one match.

 

This is what insanity looks like.

 

Where will Infantino host the final? Riyadh or Jeddah?