The reason: During this time there is an international game window that usually does not exist and that only applies to national teams from countries outside Europe.
International matches from 2020 will be made up for in 2022
On August 18, 2020 decided by the FIFA Council Committeeto set new dates for internationals canceled due to the pandemic. “The international window of 31 August to 8 September 2020 will be replaced by a window of 24 January to 1 February 2022 – for all confederations except UEFA“It was said at the time. Now this change is being implemented.
There is therefore a release obligation for all national players in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 from countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania, South America as well as North/Central America and the Caribbean. In Europe, on the other hand, the ball rests in men’s football at the end of January with the clubs and also with the national teams.
Africa Cup takes up a lot of space
The Africa Cup of Nations is the biggest event to start 2022. The tournament in Cameroon started on January 9th and the final will be held on February 6th. In 2019, the tournament took place in the summer, but the African Confederation returned to the January date.