The 2022 World Cup has now entered the knockout stage, and as more teams leave Qatar, many players are beginning to wonder when club football will resume.
For the first time, this tournament brought teams from around the world to a pause to receive the World Cup and the release of many players.
The suspension is set to cause headaches in the coming weeks and months as the competition looks to make up for lost time.
Some leagues are waiting longer than others to resume, so the resumption of top-flight football will fall at the end of December and go into January 2023.
MORE: When will the Premier League return after the winter break?
When can the competition start after the World Cup?
Although the current World Cup window runs through December 18, players can resume earlier if desired without any restrictions.
However, competitions such as the Premier League, which have many players in the World Cup, have no other choice but to wait until the end of the competition to ensure that their competition is not unfairly damaged.
Most of the top European competitions are set to resume shortly after the Christmas break on December 25, giving players time to recover after the World Cup and enjoy family time.
The Brazilian side is full #PL talent 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/2dMRdUViaK
– Premier League (@premierleague) December 5, 2022
MORE: What competitions are often called the World Cup?
When will games resume after the World Cup?
Among the top sports competitions suspended for the 2022 World Cup, the Australian Men’s A-League looks like one of the first to return.
The 2022/23 A-League season will resume on December 9 – almost a full week before other competitions around the world.
The Scottish Premiership will start on December 15, the same day as the Saudi Pro League.
For those keen to catch some Premier League action, they will have to wait until kick-off day on December 26 for games to resume.
Germany’s Bundesliga is the latest league to return with the first game not scheduled until January 20.
Many leagues such as Major League Soccer, J.League and K League are currently in mid-season and the World Cup is not affected.
MORE: Which clubs are most often invited to the World Cup?
| Competition | Country | Return date |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s A-League | Australia/New Zealand | December 9 |
| Scottish Government | Scotland | December 15 |
| Saudi Pro League | Saudi Arabia | December 15 |
| Qatar Stars League | Qatar | December 22 |
| Connection Connection | England | December 26 |
| League Ligue 1 | France | December 28 |
| La Liga | Spain | December 29 |
| Serie A | Italy | January 4 |
| Eredivisie | The Netherlands | January 6 |
| Bundesliga | Germany | January 20 |
Why did the A-League men bounce back so quickly?
Having seen only eight players from the tournament travel to Qatar, the A-League Men are taking no time to get back on track.
The league is only suspended for three weeks to avoid any major problems after the headache of the previous COVID-19 season.
Australia’s A-League Men’s World Cup players have already returned to their clubs after the Socceroos’ Round of 16 win over Argentina.
It will be reported that some will be available for immediate selection and one of them, Craig Goodwin, hopes that the domestic competition can grow in popularity due to the good results of Australia and Qatar.
“We hope that what we have achieved can help to grow the game at home because the A-League is better than it realizes. The quality of Australian football is better than it is realized,” said Goodwin.
“It’s been like this for a long time but hopefully what we’ve achieved can put Australian football on the map and help the game grow.”
We are
The Melbourne boys are back in town from their whirlwind @Socceroos experience!
It’s safe to say it’s a full head of steam ahead of time to head home this weekend 😤
The right platform for them: https://t.co/gdJm9Vm8pW pic.twitter.com/xlyzPiVhAM
– Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) December 6, 2022
