Are players getting enough rest and recovery? Alessia Russo on current women's match calendar

FIFA has just announced a new international calendar for women's football for 2026-2029. Whilst positive changes have been made, there will still be schedule pressure on high-usage international players, and regulated safeguards for in-season and off-season breaks have not been included.
As action-packed leagues reach their climax across the world, it serves as a reminder the gruelling toll elite-level players have had to endure in a congested season with minimal rest periods.
Take Alessia Russo. The England striker’s 2023/24 season began just 17 days after playing in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final.
Russo travelled from Australia to link up with Arsenal, where she joined from Manchester United, after the final on 20 August 2023 before being thrown into Champions League qualifying action on 6 September 2023 with her new club.
It left little time for Russo to recover physically and mentally from an intense World Cup and her lack of rest was well below the recommended 28 days minimum break for professional footballers.
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