There’s a saying – “too much of a good thing” – and it perfectly reflects the point we’ve now reached with football.
There’s no rest for the viewers, and it’s safe to say that the congested football calendar is gradually eroding the excitement for the sport. When everything is now important, then nothing really is anymore.
It almost feels like yesterday the Olympics and Euros concluded. Since then, fans have had little time to catch their breath.
Domestic leagues resumed almost immediately. Two domestic cup competitions ran side by side. Then came the European club tournaments – the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and the Conference League.
Just as those wrapped up, the Nations League resumed without pause, and now we have an extended version of the FIFA Club World Cup, happening concurrently with the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
There are no more breathers – not for the players, and certainly not for the viewers.
The football calendar is no longer just packed; it’s just a never-ending roll-out of football games. What used to be a seasonal rhythm with a clear off-season has now become a continuous churn of matches.
Between club obligations, international duty, and bloated pre-season tours, football exists in an unbroken loop.
This unrelenting schedule has drained matches of their uniqueness and spectacle. Top clubs now play over 60 competitive games in a single season – and that’s before factoring in international duty.
With the additional international breaks and revamped tournament formats like the Swiss-style Champions League and round-robin Club World Cup, the congestion is only getting worse.
The Effect On Players and Teams
Players and managers are beginning to sound the alarm. Just a season before the most recent campaign, Rodri voiced his concerns about the growing pile-up of fixtures, warning that it could eventually push players toward a strike.
In the 2023/24 season, the Spanish midfielder featured in 63 matches across just 343 days – a staggering workload that likely contributed to his extended absence during the 2024/25 season.
This situation of more games in the football calendar is damaging on both ends – it puts the physical and mental well-being of players at risk while also watering down the viewing experience for fans.
The only clear winners in this overloaded system are the club owners, who continue to rake in exponentially increasing revenue off the back of a bloated calendar.
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The Effect On Fans
What was once a weekly ritual has become a daily task. Supporters who once circled dates on the calendar now barely know what tournament is happening, let alone what stage it’s at.
It took me a week of the Concacaf competition to pass before realising it was ongoing. That spark – that giddy anticipation for a competitive fixture – is dimming.
Midweek matches used to feel like a treat. Now they feel like homework. A Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday? Great. But wait – there’s a Europa League semi on Thursday, a domestic cup final on Sunday, and the Nations League next Tuesday.
Being a modern football fan isn’t just emotionally exhausting – it’s expensive and time-consuming.
To keep up, fans must juggle multiple subscriptions: SuperSport, Amazon Prime, ESPN, DAZN, and TNT Sports.
The cost racks up. Add the scheduling – late-night games, and a confusing array of tournaments – and it becomes clear: being a loyal fan is starting to feel like a full-time job.
And then there’s match-going fans. Travelling across cities and countries, paying for tickets that climb higher each season, all to watch a midweek fixture.
Football used to be about moments. The ones that came after long waits, after weeks of talk, build-up and anticipation.
Now, the stakes are always high, which ironically makes nothing feel high-stakes anymore.
There’s a final nearly every month: UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, League Cups, Intercontinental Cups, “Finalissima,” and more.
Even pre-season games are now branded like Champions League nights, with sold-out friendlies in the US, Asia, and the Middle East – promoted like must-win matches.
In the long run, the constant “spectacle” wears thin. Viewers become desensitised.
The emotional weight of a last-minute goal in a cup final doesn’t land the same when it’s sandwiched between three other finals in two weeks.
So, What’s the Fix to the Overloaded Football Calendar?
Governing bodies like FIFA and UEFA seem determined to squeeze every commercial drop out of the game, often at the expense of the very people who fund it – fans.
There needs to be a rebalancing. Perhaps:
A cap on the number of official matches per year,
A return to proper off-season windows (for both players and fans),
Or a reduction in redundant competitions and bloated formats.
Football doesn’t need to be everywhere, all the time. In fact, it shouldn’t be. The best dishes aren’t served every day – that’s what keeps them special.
Football was never meant to be background noise. It was meant to be felt – savoured. But when there’s no pause, no hunger, no build-up…the beauty begins to blur.
The game might still be beautiful. But if the current pace continues, fans might forget why they fell in love with it in the first place.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire
Recording Date: 05.07.2025