This season, the Premier League will experience its longest-ever international break, spanning 16 days from September 21 to October 6.
This comes after FIFA merged the traditional September and October international windows into a single, extended period. The league will play through Matchweek 5 on September 20 before pausing, with fixtures resuming for Matchweek 6 on October 10.
During this extended break, European nations will compete in UEFA Nations League matches, while African countries will play Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers each side playing two games.
CONCACAF teams will participate in a mix of Nations League group-stage matches and friendlies; the United States and Mexico, already qualified for the quarter-finals, will focus on friendlies. Asian nations, having concluded Asian Cup qualifying, will play friendlies in preparation for the 2027 tournament, and several South American countries are also scheduled for friendly matches.
Previously, the Premier League season featured four nine-day international breaks in September, October, November, and March, with each country playing two matches per window. According to the EPL website, the new schedule merges the September and October breaks into one 16-day period, allowing for four matches instead of two.
The rationale behind this change is to reduce the number of travel periods for players—many of whom represent countries in Africa and South America—thereby minimizing disruption to the season.
It will also reduce disruption by cutting the number of breaks between the start of the season and the end of the year from three to two,” the Premier League explained. The changes were unanimously approved by the FIFA Council in 2023, with player welfare cited as a key factor.
These longer breaks can feel even more extended for clubs, as players typically return from international duty before playing again the following weekend. As a result, the pause can effectively last two to three weeks, depending on the schedule.
The November international break will run from November 9 to 17, between Matchweeks 10 and 11, while the final break of the season is scheduled for March 22 to 30, between Matchweeks 30 and 31.
In November, European sides will continue in the Nations League, African teams will play two more AFCON qualifiers, and CONCACAF’s quarter-finalists—including the US and Mexico—will continue their campaigns. South American and Asian nations will play friendlies during this time.
In March, the break will feature the start of UEFA EURO 2028 qualifying for some nations, along with Nations League knockout matches and AFCON qualifiers. The CONCACAF Nations League final will also be played, while Asian and South American teams will again participate in friendlies.
The current international break system, introduced in 2002 for 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification, established fixed periods when clubs must release players for national team duty. The Premier League notes that major tournaments such as the World Cup and continental championships can take place within FIFA windows, even if they fall during the league’s off-season. For instance, when AFCON was held between December and January last season, clubs were required to release players for the tournament, though the Premier League itself did not pause.
While there have been discussions about further reducing the number of international breaks, the existing system will remain in place until at least 2030. Additionally, Premier League matches are not scheduled for Monday nights before an international break or Friday nights immediately after, to ease the transition for players and clubs.
