You cannot go into a competition having already played 60 games
Phil Foden's absence from England's World Cup squad — just months after being named the country's best player — illuminates a quiet crisis running through the heart of modern football: the sport's commercial machinery is consuming the very talent it depends upon. The Professional Footballers' Association sees in Foden not a player who fell short, but a system that asked too much. As an expanded 48-team World Cup looms, the question of whether football's governing bodies will protect their players — or simply inherit the wreckage — grows harder to ignore.
- Phil Foden went from PFA Player of the Year to World Cup omission within months — not because his talent vanished, but because an unrelenting fixture calendar wore it down.
- Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, and Virgil van Dijk are among the elite players whose bodies are being flagged by Fifpro data as dangerously close to breaking point before the tournament even begins.
- The expanded 48-team World Cup, set to be played in high heat, threatens to become — in the PFA chief's own words — a 'survival of the fittest' rather than a celebration of the world's best football.
- The PFA is pushing for structural reform to the fixture calendar, arguing that commercial interests have been allowed to override both player welfare and the quality of the spectacle.
- Without intervention, the sport risks a self-defeating cycle: the schedule that generates revenue is destroying the players whose brilliance makes that revenue possible.
Phil Foden won the PFA Player of the Year award at the end of the 2023-24 season. Months later, he was left out of England's World Cup squad. That jarring contradiction is precisely the point Maheta Molango, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, is trying to make.
Speaking at a Fifpro gathering, Molango argued that Foden is not a player who failed — he is a player the system failed. His availability dropped, and when he did play, the brilliance that defined him two seasons ago was noticeably absent. Molango described him as "one of the victims of this crazy calendar that only makes sense for those pursuing commercial gain," at the expense of both player welfare and the quality of the game itself. Cole Palmer, 24, suffered a similar fate — a difficult season, glimpses of his talent rather than the full picture, and ultimately no place in the national squad.
The concern is backed by data. Fifpro research identifies Arsenal's Declan Rice and Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk as players at elevated risk of injury or performance decline, having already played 36 and 38 Premier League matches respectively. Both are heading into an expanded 48-team World Cup, where matches will be contested in high temperatures — an additional burden on bodies already stretched to their limits.
Molango fears the tournament will become a "survival of the fittest," with the most gifted players at the biggest clubs simply unable to sustain another 60-game season without breaking down. The paradox he identifies cuts deep: football celebrates individual brilliance while constructing a calendar that makes sustained brilliance nearly impossible. As the World Cup approaches, the sport's governing bodies face a choice — reform the schedule, or watch more of their finest players quietly disappear.
Phil Foden won the PFA player of the year award at the end of the 2023-24 season. A few months later, he was left out of England's World Cup squad. The disconnect between those two facts—one celebrating his excellence, the other suggesting he no longer belonged in his country's plans—sits at the heart of a larger argument about what professional football is doing to its best players.
Foden's omission from Thomas Tuchel's squad came after a disappointing campaign for Manchester City, one in which the 25-year-old's availability and form both declined noticeably. Maheta Molango, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, sees Foden's situation not as a personal failure but as a symptom of something systemic. During a meeting of Fifpro, the global organization representing professional footballers, Molango made the case that Foden is a casualty of football's relentless fixture calendar—a schedule so packed that even the most talented players eventually break under the weight of it.
"The number of games that he's been available for has dropped and, when he has been available, it has not been the version of Phil Foden we saw two years ago," Molango said. He framed the situation bluntly: Foden is "one of the victims of this crazy calendar that only makes sense for those pursuing commercial gain to the detriment of the quality of the spectacle and the protection of players, who should be football's heritage." The argument is not that Foden played poorly because he lacked talent. It is that he played poorly because his body and mind were exhausted by the sheer volume of matches demanded of him.
Foden is not alone. Chelsea's Cole Palmer, 24, also endured a difficult season and missed out on England selection. Molango noted that fans have seen only glimpses of Palmer's ability this year, a loss felt by both Chelsea supporters and those who follow the national team. These are not marginal players; they are among the most gifted footballers in the world, and the system is grinding them down.
Fifpro's research suggests the problem extends beyond individual cases. The organization has collected data indicating that Arsenal's Declan Rice and Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk face elevated risk of injury or diminished performance in the coming season, having already played 36 and 38 Premier League matches respectively. Both are set to compete in the expanded 48-team World Cup, where matches will be played in high temperatures—adding another layer of physical demand to bodies already stretched thin.
Molango fears that the expanded World Cup, rather than being a showcase for the world's best talent, will become a "survival of the fittest." He explained the paradox: "There is a big chance that may be the case because some of the most talented players at the biggest clubs will reach a point where it is simply too much. You cannot go into a competition having already played 60, or close to 60, games." The concern is not hypothetical. Fifpro argues that players cannot sustain "high-threshold competitive seasons" year after year without eventually suffering injuries or a decline in performance.
What makes Foden's case particularly striking is that it exposes a contradiction at the heart of modern football. The system celebrates individual brilliance—Foden earned his player of the year award fairly—while simultaneously creating conditions that make sustained brilliance nearly impossible. The calendar serves commercial interests, not the interests of the players or the quality of the game itself. And as the World Cup approaches, the question becomes whether the sport's governing bodies will address the underlying problem or simply watch as more talented players reach a breaking point.
Citas Notables
He is one of the victims of this crazy calendar that only makes sense for those pursuing commercial gain to the detriment of the quality of the spectacle and the protection of players.— Maheta Molango, PFA chief executive
There is a big chance that may be the case because some of the most talented players at the biggest clubs will reach a point where it is simply too much.— Maheta Molango, on the World Cup becoming a 'survival of the fittest'
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
When you say Foden is a "victim" of the fixture calendar, aren't you also saying he didn't perform well enough to make the squad on merit?
Not quite. The argument is that his merit was undermined by exhaustion. He won player of the year the season before. The decline wasn't about losing talent—it was about having no recovery time.
But other players managed the same schedule. Why did Foden struggle more than others?
That's the point Fifpro is making. Some players will break, others will limp through. The calendar is unsustainable for everyone, but it hits the most used players hardest. Foden played constantly.
So the real problem isn't Foden's form. It's that the system is broken.
Exactly. And the World Cup is about to expose that. Imagine asking players who've already played 60 games to compete in a tournament in the heat. Some will get injured. Some will simply have nothing left.
Who benefits from keeping the calendar this packed?
The clubs, the broadcasters, the commercial partners. Every match is revenue. The cost is paid by the players—and ultimately by fans who watch diminished versions of their favorite athletes.
Is there any chance this changes before the World Cup?
Unlikely. The infrastructure of modern football is built around maximizing matches. Real change would require the biggest clubs and broadcasters to accept less money. That's not happening by June.