EPL to have its first 16-day international break starting September 21

The Premier League will have its first-ever 16-day international break this season. FIFA has combined the usual September and October breaks into one long period from September 21 to October 6.

The league will finish Matchweek 5 on September 20 before stopping. Matchweek 6 will start again on October 10.

During this long break, European teams will play UEFA Nations League matches. African countries will take part in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, with each country playing two matches. Teams from CONCACAF will play in a mix of Nations League group-stage games and friendlies. The United States and Mexico, who have already qualified for the quarter-finals, will also play friendlies.

Asian countries will have friendlies as they prepare for the Asian Cup in January 2027. This will happen after the Asian Cup qualifiers end. Several South American countries will also have friendlies scheduled.

According to a report from the EPL website, there used to be four nine-day international breaks during the Premier League season. These breaks happened in September, October, November, and March, with each country playing two matches in each window.

This season, the September and October breaks have been combined into one 16-day period. Countries will now play four matches instead of the usual 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," the Premier League explained.

The league added that this will also cut down on disruptions. The number of breaks between the start of the season and the end of the year will go from three to two.

The FIFA Council approved these changes in 2023, considering player welfare.

The breaks can feel longer for Premier League clubs. Players return from national duty before playing their club matches 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.

The November international break will happen from November 9 to 17, between Matchweeks 10 and 11. The last Premier League break of the season will occur from March 22 to 30, between Matchweeks 30 and 31.

In November, European countries will continue with two matches in the Nations League. The AFCON qualification will also move forward with two more fixtures.

The United States and Mexico will join other qualified teams in the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals. South American and Asian nations will also play friendlies.

The March break will start EURO 2028 qualifying for some countries. UEFA Nations League knockout matches will take place, including League A quarter-finals and playoffs.

AFCON qualification will carry on, and the CONCACAF Nations League final will also happen. Asian and South American countries will have friendlies during this period.

The Premier League mentioned that the international-break system started in 2002. It was first used for qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

FIFA introduced fixed periods in the season for clubs to release players for their national teams due to the rising number of fixtures.

The league noted that major tournaments like the FIFA World Cup can take place during FIFA windows, even if they overlap with the Premier League off-season.

"When the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) happened between December and January last season, clubs had to release players in a specific window for the tournament, though the Premier League did not take a break," it said.

There were talks about reducing the number of international breaks even more. But the current system will stay until at least 2030.

"Premier League matches are also not held on a Monday night before an international break or on a Friday night after the break," the release ended.