One idea being strongly considered, according to FIFA vice president and Concacaf president Victor Montagliani, is moving the European season to a calendar-year format instead of a cross-year one.
Europe’s top leagues typically start in August and carry through April or May, with games persisting through wintertime conditions. MLS, conversely, follows the calendar year, with the 2020 season starting Feb. 29 and wrapping up with MLS Cup in November or December. That allows for a long offseason around the holiday part and new year's start.
"Here in the Americas, the season is already played according to the calendar year,” Montagliani said during an interview with Italy's Radio Sportiva. “Perhaps it is a solution that could also be used in Europe and Africa, it is a possibility to be discussed at national and continental level.”
Any shift would factor in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is set for Qatar that November and December due to temperature concerns. There’s also the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has nearly the entire soccer world on pause and long-term calendar implications to follow.
In Europe, the Ligue 1 (France) season has been cancelled, while leagues in England and Italy are still trying to find creative solutions to safely return. Such a change, following the MLS mold, would have far-reaching impacts. The Bundesliga is set to restart behind closed doors in the coming weeks.
"It is not an idea to be discarded," Montagliani said. "It can be a solution in view of the next two years and this winter World Cup."
