Fans rebel! Nobody seems to want the longest international break of the season
Just as the club season was hitting top gear, the pause button has been pressed again. And judging by social media, football fans are anything but thrilled about it.
Details: According to The Touchline, supporters have flooded social media with complaints about the upcoming international break. Fans admit they are far more excited about club football than national team fixtures, especially since the longest World Cup in history ended only a couple of months ago.
There is a structural reason behind the frustration: starting from 2026, FIFA merged the September and October international windows into one giant break, which this year runs from September 21 to October 6, making it the longest pause of the season. While the move was designed to reduce travel and give national teams proper training camps, supporters see two weekends without the Premier League, La Liga and the Champions League rhythm they love. The fatigue argument cuts both ways: the 2026 World Cup, a 48-team marathon that finished only in July, was the longest ever, and many fans feel they have simply had their fill of international football for now. Players are not exactly celebrating either: Barcelona star Raphinha, for example, faces a brutal 34,000-kilometer journey in two weeks for Brazil's friendlies against Australia and India. Still, the break promises compelling storylines, from Zinedine Zidane's first matches in charge of France against Türkiye and Belgium to Roberto Mancini's second debut with Italy, so perhaps the doubters will be won over once the games begin.
It's worth noting that this is the first season in history without a separate October international window, a calendar experiment that FIFA will evaluate after this campaign.
Reminder: 34000 km in two weeks! Raphinha faces an exhausting international break
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
