Could star players really go on strike over football’s packed schedule?

Player frustration over playing too many games and not getting enough rest is building across football, but just how close is the sport to a player strike?

The issue of burnout has always been a significant topic in the game, but the expansion of UEFA’s club competitions and FIFA’s brand-new Club World Cup has put the matter at the top of the agenda.

In August, ESPN reported that this season will be the longest club campaign ever because the Club World Cup is scheduled to take place over a four-week period in the United States in June and July. Leading players had already spoken out, with Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham raising concerns about football’s increasingly crowded fixture list.

This week, Manchester City midfielder Rodri became the first high-profile player to warn that footballers are ready to go on strike. Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois joined Rodri in talking about the possibility of players taking unprecedented action. Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Barcelona’s Jules Koundé and Aston Villa’s John McGinn soon followed.

Managers such as Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp have also sounded alarm bells over exhaustion. And on Friday, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said he believes players would be willing to take a pay cut if it meant playing fewer games.

While strike action has impacted American sports over the years with baseball, basketball and American football all experiencing strikes or lockouts, football has so far avoided such a drastic scenario.

Why are elite footballers now talking about strike action, and how likely is it to happen?

What is behind the threat of strike action?

Player workload has been a long-standing issue, with the biggest clubs often competing in competitions until the final stages and then jetting off for long-distance preseason tours in the United States or Asia. These trips can last for two or three weeks and involve several matches.

The top players also have to factor in international games, and they travel that involves during a season, plus major tournaments every two years. It’s very easy to play upwards of 60 matches.

Despite the growing tension, football has just about been able to manage the situation. Players have been able to get at least the suggested level of rest — usually three to four weeks — in between seasons, while every second year would have a blank space on the international calendar for extended recuperation.

In addition, FIFPRO said that “Player unions believe that such decisions by FIFA are in breach of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (CFREU), without any serious justification. Ultimately, player unions believe the aim of this new competition is to increase the wealth and power of football’s global governing body, with no proper regard for the impact on the players involved or on other stakeholders within professional football.”

The European Leagues, which represents 39 professional leagues in 33 countries in Europe, joined the FIFPRO legal action in July, but FIFA responded with accusations of “hypocrisy.”

In a statement, FIFA said: “Some leagues in Europe — themselves competition organisers and regulators — are acting with commercial self-interest, hypocrisy, and without consideration to everyone else in the world. Those leagues apparently prefer a calendar filled with friendlies and summer tours, often involving extensive global travel. By contrast, FIFA must protect the overall interests of world football, including the protection of players, everywhere and at all levels of the game.”

What do the players want?

Maheta Molango, the CEO of England’s Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), told ESPN in August that he could “absolutely not” discount industrial action by players if their concerns were not addressed. Molango reiterated to ESPN this week that FIFA must “sit up and take notice.”

Football would, obviously, grind to a halt without footballers, so the players are in a powerful position to drive change — if they have the stomach to force it through.

FIFPRO and the players’ unions want limits placed on the number of games that players can play in a season. Molango suggested to ESPN a figure between 50-60, plus a restriction of no more than six occasions when a player can player two matches within four days. The unions also want a summer break of three to four weeks to be mandatory, rather than advisory.

“Players are talking about it everywhere: at press conferences ahead of the Champions League, ahead of the Nations League. It’s clear to see something has shifted,” Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO’s director of global policy & strategic relations for men’s football, told a panel at the World Football Summit this week.

“Player unions have been working on this issue for more than five years. We have raised and communicated the players’ concerns on this to FIFA. When unions in countries like England, France, Italy and other markets visit the players every preseason and talk to the national team players, the No. 1 concern is workload.

“The players need protected rest periods and a limit on matches so they can perform at their peak and protect their careers. It’s as simple as that.”

Club owners, who benefit from the increased financial uplift of more games in high-profile tournaments, have so far remained silent on the concerns of players.