I don't understand why so many fans hate international breaks so much. To me, they're fascinating. I want to see the world involved in the sport, not just a few clubs in a few countries, and I love watching the different styles that are shown in national team games, the variety in home atmospheres and so on.
And for those who only care about the club side of the sport, having a week or two off can be a great opportunity to explore that more. Go to a semi-pro or even amateur game. Ground-hop, whether in your local region, elsewhere in this country or abroad. See your club's women's team for the first time.
Of course, there are so many non-sports things that can be done with that free time too.
In any case, it seems like it's mostly fans of Western European clubs who hate international breaks. For many others, national teams are their prime interest, and those breaks may be their only chances to see their favorite players actually play in their own country.
And even for those who only care about the major events, to me, qualifying's essentially no different. It's simply an earlier stage of the same competition. Plus, how many teams go to the World Cup or Euros is just a number that FIFA or UEFA decided on anyway. They're the ones that call some matches "qualifying" and some not.
Like, if you go to Sofascore and pull up the 2026 World Cup, you'll see 48 teams, but if you look at the 1994 World Cup, you'll only see 24. And it's not like the FIFA membership count is much different nowadays. In 1994, it was 191. Today, it's 211. If the World Cup had also increased by just 10.5% in the years since, the 2026 event would have consisted of 27 teams, not 48.
submitted by /u/2Wasteland4Wanderer[link] [comments]