Out with the off-season
The off-season isn’t really off these days as the footballing calendar never seems to pause for breath, notes Soccer 360 Magazine Gaby McKay
In the life of a football fan, it’s often not the New Year which brings time for reflection and looking to the future, but the end of the season.
When the clocks strike midnight to usher in 2026, those of us who follow the beautiful game will already be well conditioned to the idea that the year is coming – for European leagues at least – we’ll be somewhere in the middle of the 2025-26 season. Increasingly though, of course, there’s no real barrier between one campaign and the next.
Take Manchester United as an example. After a miserable season in which the Red Devils finished 15th in the Premier League and lost in the Europa League final, boss Ruben Amorim stood on the pitch at Old Trafford to apologise to fans and assure them better days lie ahead. The following day, he and 32 of his players flew out to Malaysia for a pair of post-season friendlies.
The players will then face their first pre-season match against Leeds United in Sweden, before flying out to the United States for three fixtures as part of the Premier League Summer Series. They’ll then face Fiorentina in something called the Snapdragon Cup on August 9 before the new Premier League season begins the following weekend.There’s perhaps no surprise in owners the Glazer family and Jim Ratcliffe looking to wring as much lucre as possible out of what remains one of sport’s most valuable brands, but it’s not just post and pre-season friendlies players have to contend with these days.
This summer also, of course, sees the return of the Club World Cup in a new, expanded format to be played in the USA as a kind of dry run for the 2026 World Cup.The tournament has been discussed in this column before, and it’s true that few will be getting the violins out for what are – mostly – fantastically well remunerated players having to play a bit more football.
Furthermore, it should not be dismissed that for fans of clubs from outside of UEFA and CONMEBOL getting to see their teams go up against some of the most glamorous names in the sport will be a genuine thrill. If you support Auckland City, it’s not every day you get to see your heroes face down Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors.That said, it’s hard not to find it faintly ridiculous that we find ourselves in a situation where Inter and Paris Saint-Germain are playing what are supposed to be competitive matches barely two weeks after they bring the curtain down on the European season in the Champions League final.The idea in itself is not a bad one. Increasingly in modern football the centre of gravity is Europe, and in particular its top five leagues.
The new Club World Cup isn’t going to address that but, if it works, getting eyes on teams from other parts of the world would be no bad thing.
The old Intercontinental Cup was, at one time, a genuinely prestigious tournament. Played between the champions of Europe and South America, it offered fans the chance to see the likes of Pele and Eusebio go head-to-head, with the matches hard-fought and victory much prized. The 1967 edition, which saw Celtic face Racing Club, descended into a riot and six players were sent off. When it came to an end CONMEBOL had managed 22 titles and UEFA 21.Given the tight turnaround though, it’s reasonable to ask if the new version can ever be on that level, sandwiched as it is between European seasons and money-spinning tours.
Footballers may be well paid but they are, in the end, only human and tired legs and minds don’t make for exciting tournament football. Following a thrilling season for Lamine Yamal, there’s been much talk of just how good he could be – at just 17 his numbers exceed those of even Lionel Messi.Any football fan – well, perhaps not Real Madrid supporters – can only find joy in watching the prodigiously talented forward do this thing, but there’s a real risk of burning out Yamal and players like him. The Barcelona youngster played 60 matches for club and country in 2024-25 before the Club World Cup, having gone into the season off the back of winning the European Championship with Spain, the final being his 64th match of that season.When Barcelona’s Club World Cup campaign concludes he can expect to head out on a pre-season tour, before being thrown right back into a new club season and looking to inspire Spain at the World Cup in 2026. At what point are we asking too much of someone who, again, is only 17?If, as a fan, it feels like you can barely pause for breath then how must the players and coaches be feeling?
