UEFA tells federations to avoid domestic matches in Europe weeks

UEFA has sent a reminder to 55 national federations asking them to avoid scheduling league matches (or domestic cup fixtures) during the weeks when European club competitions take place. As RMC Sport reports, the message comes as a note that also includes the dates for the “Coupes d’Europe” across the coming season.

The European body argues that national competition games should not be played on the same dates as UEFA matches, unless exceptional circumstances make it necessary. In the document, UEFA says the goal is to safeguard the success of both domestic football and the interclub tournaments.

The aim: no clashes

The core reasoning is about calendar management and fan impact. UEFA stresses that scheduling domestic league or cup games so they directly overlap with matches from UEFA’s interclub competitions (and vice versa) is not in supporters’ interest and therefore harms football.

What federations must do

UEFA also asks federations to make sure those dates are taken into account by the national bodies responsible for the competition calendar (their association and/or league). In France, RMC Sport notes that, for now, only one clash stands out: a Ligue 3 match on Thursday coinciding directly with the Europa League and Conference League. Multiple contacts cited by the outlet suggest the situation could depend on whether that game falls under the UEFA guidelines.