Player workload in sharp focus at International Sports Convention in London

• Calendar expansion unsustainable, says FIFPRO board member Maheta Molango 
  
• FIFPRO’s High Performance Advisory Network (HPAN) represented by Gregory Dupont 
  
• Several players facing 70+ matches in 2025/26 season  

The importance of player welfare and its impact on the continued commercial success of football was emphasised by FIFPRO delegates at the 2026 International Sports Convention at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London.  

Speaking on the panel titled “The football players’ calendar - when is too much too much - protecting performance and player care”, Maheta Molango (FIFPRO Global Board Member / PFA Chief Executive), Michael Leahy (Strategy & Intelligence, Men’s Football & Player IQ) and Gregory Dupont (Felis Performance & FIFPRO HPAN) all highlighted the issues surrounding the international match calendar in its current state, and why reform is required to protect performance and the wellbeing of players. Also on the panel, which was moderated by respected broadcaster Adam Leventhal, was Louise Skinner, a partner at Morgan Lewis.  

Record player workload and demands a recurring theme 

The challenges for players was reiterated further by Maheta Molango, citing how for many players like Cole Palmer of Chelsea and England are facing a third consecutive year without any significant rest period of note, due to a calendar of back-to-back-to-back international competitions (UEFA EURO 2024, FIFA Club World Cup 2025 and 2026 FIFA World Cup).  

Other players who ply their trade in the Premier League, such as Declan Rice, Virgil van Dijk and Morgan Rogers, are finishing a demanding club season with Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa respectively. The trio, among others, have already amassed more than 50 appearances in the 2025/26 season, according to the latest findings from the FIFPRO Player Workload Monitoring (PWM) platform. This could rise to more than 70 matches by the conclusion of the season in July.  
 

This high workload, especially on younger players, further supports the recommendations from the FIFPRO High Performance Network Group (HPAN)’s Delphi study from 2025, which underlines that minimum health standards in professional football are urgently required to protect the health and wellbeing of players.  

The challenges for optimising player preparation  

Michael Leahy noted the heighted risk being placed upon players physical and mental wellbeing arising from long sequences of back-to-back matches, often without weekly rest days. He reinforced FIFPRO’s calls for properly enforced minimum safeguards, including minimum four-week summer breaks that allow for effective rest and recovery as well as a sufficient period of pre-season training afterwards.  

The topics raised on the panel were extremely relevant for Gregory Dupont in particular, a member of FIFPRO’s High Performance Advisory Network (HPAN) since it was launched in 2024 to support strategic priorities on player performance and health.  
 

Having worked with the French national team that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, as well as with clubs like Real Madrid, Celtic and Lille, Dupont was able to identify the issues occurring in physical preparation for players from both a club and country perspective. With FIFA World Cup qualifiers moving into a definitive phase, he also pointed to the friction between club and international football. 

This includes a heightened risk of serious injury due to additional games and travel, along with misaligned calendars that can lead to players appearing more often in a condensed period. But there are also issues of care at hand, with club and national medical staff each incentivised to ensure players are available for their team. 

He also further reinforced the essential need for an effective period of pre-season training, while warning that lucrative pre-season tours and friendlies carry their own hazards, from long-haul travel to unsuitable facilities.