Photo via BBC Sport

Elite schedule 'not sustainable' amid 55-game seasons

Professional footballers are facing an increasingly precarious workload, with many logging over 4,000 minutes during the 2025-26 campaign. Experts warn that the current volume of matches is physically and mentally unsustainable, leading to a rise in player withdrawals from national team duties.

Notable stars including Virgil van Dijk, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, and Harry Kane have been identified as having heavy participation rates, while others like Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Tino Livramento, Kai Havertz, and Kylian Mbappe have recently opted out of international selection. PFA chief Maheta Molango has criticized the industry for failing to protect athletes, advocating for mandatory rest periods to prevent biological burnout.

However, specialists note that the lack of a unified governing body for scheduling makes implementing such safeguards difficult.

Up nextFootball· 46m ago

If Declan Rice is not a 'lighthouse' anymore, then what is he?