Football

Premier League clubs and others around the world will pause their action while players link up with their national teams to contest up to four games in the expanded international break beginning this month.

Read more NBA

In an unusual move, FIFA has combined the regular 12-day international breaks in September and October, creating a three-week-long gap in the club schedule to allow national teams the chance to enjoy an extended camp.

While many stars have been sent to link up with their international sides, the majority of players were not, and have been left behind to fill the gap until their club schedule begins anew.

The Sporting News brings you a look at how clubs are passing the time between fixtures, and when competitive club matches will resume.

MORE: Zinedine Zidane’s first France roster | Ronaldo named to Portugal roster | USMNT squad

What club teams are doing during international break

Taking vacation

Most Premier League clubs and others around Europe will continue to hold training throughout the international break for players who were not called in to their national teams.

However, with the three-week international break longer than usual, there is also plenty of time to allow players and coaches the chance to rest and relax.

Some clubs, such as Manchester United and Brentford, will reportedly give their players the first week of the international break off before training resumes in the final week of September.

Some managers and players will use this time for a rare opportunity to travel and rest, often at a vacation destination in the sun. Pep Guardiola, for example, would often go to visit family in Barcelona, or take a trip to Abu Dhabi. Enzo Maresca, meanwhile, is taking the opposite approach, staying home to help take care of his children and continue to work, watching film and developing plans for the team’s future.

Maresca said he is giving his players a full two weeks off, although they are still able to access the club grounds to keep up with their own fitness or injury recovery. At clubs like Man City, there are few players who have not been called in by their national teams, but some still remain, such as Phil Foden and Matheus Nunes.

MORE: When does the Premier League return to action?

Skeleton training

While many players and coaches will have some time off during the international break, most clubs will also hold training for those who have not been called in by their national teams.

These training sessions can often be extremely helpful for players who are still at their clubs through the international break, as they are sometimes more intimate or specialized. Sometimes, players who have recently changed clubs and are struggling for club minutes can even be intentionally left off international rosters by their national-team coaches with the expressed intent of remaining with their clubs for this personalized training.

The Sporting News was afforded the opportunity to visit closed-doors training at Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen under Xabi Alonso during the November international break in late 2023. There, players conducted defensive and passing drills while the coaches filled in as extra bodies — something Alonso was always keen to do. The scene felt like a ghost town at times, but attending players such as Odilon Kossounou were clearly grateful for the extra work.

Other players who are dealing with injuries will continue to work on their individual recovery with training staff and medical personnel. For example, at Manchester United, Marcus Rashford and Benjamin Sesko were forced to withdraw from national-team duty due to injuries, and both will be assessed during the break. It is not uncommon during international breaks filled with games from less-important competitions to see players prioritize their club situation and stay back if their body is not fully fit to recover at state-of-the-art facilities.

Club friendlies

While training throughout this long international break can go a long way, there is no replacement for a game setting.

Read more AFL

Some clubs are open about their activities during the break, scheduling official friendlies against other clubs. Many German clubs have publicized their upcoming friendlies, with Schalke taking on fourth-tier side Oberhausen, Stuttgart hosting Greuther Furth, and Frankfurt taking on Eintracht Braunschweig.

Others are more discreet. Fulham, for example, have around 15 players away on international duty, but the remainder of the squad will stay behind to continue training, with off days scattered throughout. The club will hold a closed-doors friendly against an unnamed opponent at some point during the international break, sources with knowledge of the club’s activities told The Sporting News.

Many of these friendlies will feature rosters made up of youth players to fill out the missing spots, but first-team players not with their national teams will also relish the chance to remain match fit in a low-stakes environment such as these closed-doors matches.

It is likely that this approach is common throughout the big European leagues, but clubs are often guarded about these plans and are reluctant to publicize details of their training and competitive schedule through non-competitive periods.

When is the international break over? Schedule for return to club matches

Here is an overview for when the biggest clubs and leagues in the world will be back to action.

Premier League

The Premier League will return to action Saturday, October 10 with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United all in action on that day throughout seven fixtures.

La Liga

The Spanish top flight will be back on the field on Friday, October 9 as Malaga take on Espanyol.

Barcelona and Real Madrid both return the following day, both at home, as Barca host Getafe and Real Madrid welcome Villarreal and new coach Javier Aguirre.

Bundesliga

In Germany, Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen welcome Bundesliga action back on Friday, October 9, while Bayern Munich are back on the field the following day on the road against Augsburg.

Serie A

Italian top-flight football returns Saturday, October 10 with three fixtures, including home games for Inter Milan (against Parma) and Napoli (against Frosinone).

AC Milan and Juventus are both on the road the following day, against Sassuolo and Cagliari respectively.

Ligue 1

The French league will be back in play on Friday, October 9 as Lyon travel to meet Lens.

Paris Saint-Germain have their return to league play the following day with a home date against promoted Le Mans, while Marseille are on the road Sunday against Troyes.

Read more AFL