Business Could Start Early Because Of World Cup
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – JULY 15: Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates with the World Cup trophy following … [+]
The 2022 FIFA World Cup is already throwing domestic football calendars out of sync and altering players’ workloads, but its impact on club football could extend even further.
The World Cup usually takes place in June and July when most leagues around the world are in their offseason, but this edition is being played in the northern hemisphere’s autumn months for the first time ever in order to avoid the sweltering summer months of the host nation , Qatar.
As well as affecting the timing of club seasons, this unusual scheduling could also have an effect on one of the most high-profile and potentially lucrative aspects of global football—the transfer market.
Even when scheduled at its usual time, the World Cup can affect the movement of players.
In the buildup to these tournaments, players can naturally tend to put their international careers before their club careers, prioritizing the chance to be fit for, or even just be chosen for, their national teams ahead of the big tournament.
This can see players put opportunities for bigger contracts on hold if they think they might not play as much at their new club, and choose to remain at a one where they are already considered successful and