Liga MX will stop for 22 days during the Apertura 2026
FIFA has decided to unify the September and October international break into one 22-day break, in which all league competition will be put on hold.
This Tuesday — exactly 100 days before the 2026 World Cup kicks off — FIFA revealed the updated international break schedule for national teams before and after next summer’s tournament.
According to reporting from The Daily Mail, FIFA has officially eliminated the traditional October international window, replacing it with a single extended break lasting 22 days.
Until 2025, club soccer paused twice in the fall: once in early September and again during the second week of October. But under the new plan, leagues around the world will shut down from September 19 to October 10, 2026 — a 22‑day stretch with no league action.
How will this affect Liga MX during the Apertura 2026?
If the schedule mirrors the Apertura 2025 calendar, Liga MX would pause between Matchdays 7 and 8. This comes on top of the already‑significant break Mexican soccer takes for the Leagues Cup.
There have been recent rumors about possibly moving up the start of the next tournament, but the September stoppage is unavoidable.
After the World Cup, FIFA will also reduce the number of international windows. Instead of three post‑tournament breaks, there will only be two, with leagues pausing again in November for the final international window of the calendar year.
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