Fatigue hits World Cup stars with three summers of nonstop football in 2026

Top players face heavy workloads after three straight summers of major tournaments with expanded schedules.

Three summers without rest for footballers The past three summers have seen almost no breaks for elite footballers. In 2024, continental championships like the Euros took place, followed by the Club World Cup, and now the 2026 World Cup is under way. Many of the game’s leading figures are feeling the relentless grind of constant competition. Instead of a summer break in 2025, FIFA scheduled an expanded Club World Cup, adding to the congestion. This event alone involved 74 players who will also feature at the 2026 World Cup, with some having barely paused in three straight years of action. ## France carry highest combined workload into World Cup France enter the World Cup with the most exhausted squad in terms of total minutes played over the last 12 months. Didier Deschamps’ side have appeared in 1,341 matches, amassing 98,895 minutes in total. Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix tops the France group with 58 starts and 5,009 minutes, yet he is expected to feature only as a squad option. Bayern Munich forward Michael Olise, a former Palace player, leads in appearances with 65, though 12 of those were as a substitute, placing him second in minutes played at 4,942. Eleven France players participated in the recent Club World Cup, the same number as Portugal, while Germany had the highest total with 12. ## Portugal sit second in squad workload rankings Portugal rank second among the top 10 ranked nations for total minutes played over the past year, with 1,299 matches and 96,405 minutes. Roberto Martinez’s team would have been even higher had Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot featured more in Manchester United’s domestic cup games; the club missed European qualification and played just one match in both the FA Cup and EFL Cup. Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Vitinha led his squad with 66 appearances, reaching both the Club World Cup final and the Champions League title. Cristiano Ronaldo started all 44 of his appearances for Al Nassr and Portugal. ## England third in minutes ranking despite fewer starts England sit third in the workload table, with Thomas Tuchel’s side recording 1,304 games played but only 1,051 starts. Harry Kane’s workload raises concerns as the captain, now turning 33 next month, logged 63 appearances for Bayern Munich. Morgan Rogers leads England’s squad with 64 appearances and 5,037 minutes for Aston Villa. Seven England players have made at least 50 starts in the last year, more than any other nation, followed by Belgium, Germany, and Portugal, who each have six. ## Germany’s first XI carries lighter minutes burden Germany’s projected starting lineup has comparatively fewer minutes than their squad total suggests. Bayern centre-back Jonathan Tah has played the most minutes at 4,923 under Julian Nagelsmann. Kai Havertz of Arsenal and Jamal Musiala of Bayern, both expected starters, have missed significant time due to injuries, each making only 15 starts. Despite these absences, Germany may be better prepared for hot conditions than rivals with heavier workloads. Brazil also enter with cautious optimism, sensing an opportunity to challenge. ## Brazil’s Vinicius leads appearances; Pereira tops minutes Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior tops appearance charts with 67 outings, while Flamengo centre-back Leo Pereira has logged the most minutes at 5,559. Argentina, defending World Cup champions from Qatar, have only four players with 50 or more starts in their squad. Palmeiras striker Jose Manuel Lopez stands out with 76 appearances, 59 of them as a starter, and 5,174 minutes—nearly matching Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez’s 5,173 minutes from 65 appearances. Lionel Messi, now turning 39 this month, has played 51 matches with only three as a substitute. ## Spain’s numbers reduced by injuries to key players Spain’s total minutes are unusually low due to extended absences suffered by key players such as Manchester City’s Rodri and Barcelona midfielder Gavi. Among the 260 players listed, only Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku, with nine appearances, has fewer outings than Gavi’s 14. Arsenal’s Martin Zubimendi has played the most games for Spain at 63, while Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella leads in minutes with 4,981. After Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, and Morocco follow in the rankings, each with notable individual workload leaders in the top 10. ## Portugal’s first XI faces the toughest starting workload When focusing on the projected starting XIs, Portugal top the workload list, with five of their expected starters having made over 50 appearances in the past year. France follow in second place, while England rank third, though their standing would be higher if John Stones had not seen reduced minutes for Manchester City in the season’s second half. The Netherlands sit ninth in squad totals but rise to fourth in projected starting XI workload, hinting at a possible lack of depth in their squad. Germany’s starting lineup also shows relatively low minutes, partly due to injuries to key players like Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala. ## Van Dijk tops individual workload among major nations Virgil van Dijk will celebrate his 35th birthday during the World Cup knockout rounds, a milestone that could test his durability if the Netherlands advance deep into the tournament. The Liverpool defender, who did not play in the Club World Cup, logged 5,661 minutes, surpassing the second-highest figure by a single player by an entire match’s worth of playtime. He started all 64 of his appearances for club and country this season. Two other players in the top 10 to miss the bench entirely are both goalkeepers. Belgium, despite a low squad total, has three players in the individual top 10: Thibaut Courtois, Club Brugge’s Hans Vanaken, and teammate Brandon Mechele. ## Lopez leads appearances; England absent from top 10 workloads Argentina’s Jose Manuel Lopez tops the individual appearances list with 76, nine more than Vinicius Junior’s 67. England’s Morgan Rogers ranks 12th with 64 appearances, while Harry Kane is 15th, Marc Guehi 17th, and Declan Rice 18th—showing strong representation but no players inside the top 10. France’s Maxence Lacroix sits 13th and Michael Olise 16th. Germany’s highest-placed players are Jonathan Tah at 20th and Joshua Kimmich at 21st. Spain’s Marc Cucurella is 14th and Unai Simon 26th in the individual workload standings.