The FIFA Council has made several significant decisions about the future of men's and women's football competitions at a recent meeting before the 73rd FIFA Congress in Kigali, Rwanda. Following a thorough consultation process, the FIFA Council unanimously approved the international match calendars for both men and women.
The Men's International Match Calendar for 2025-2030 will consist of four windows for international matches, including a nine-day, two-match window in March and November and a nine-day, two-match window in June for friendly matches leading to final tournaments. A 16-day, four-match window will be added from 2026 in late September and early October, while the release period for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will begin on May 25, 2026. The total number of rest, release, and tourname
nt days will remain the same as the 2010, 2014, and 2018 FIFA World Cup editions. The detailed Men's International Match Calendar 2025-2030 will be available in the coming days.
The Women's International Match Calendar for 2024-2025 will have six international windows per year, including various window types for confederations to provide their specific competition qualification pathways and member associations to play friendly matches. The calendar will include the Women's Olympic Football Tournament dates from July 25 to August 10, 2024, and the first-ever Concacaf W Gold Cup from February 20 to March 10, 2024.
Furthermore, the FIFA Council unanimously approved the creation of a dedicated task force on player welfare to ensure the implementation of player welfare principles such as mandatory rest periods. FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that FIFA has taken a global approach to the discussions on the International Match Calendar and considered all key stakeholders' perspectives. Infantino added that their fundamental goal is to have clarity on this topic and have meaningful football matches while protecting the players' well-being and acknowledging that several regions need more competitive football.
The FIFA Council also approved the key principles of access list for the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup 2025, ensuring the highest quality based on sporting criteria, with the host country's access to be determined later. Confedrations with more than four slots will have access for the champions of the previous four editions of the confederation's premier club competition and additional teams to be determined by a club ranking based on the same four-year period. For confederations with four slots, access is for the champions of the previous four editions of the confederation's premier club competition, and for those with one slot, access is for the highest-ranked club between the champions of the confederation's premier club competition in the four-year period.
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