Clubs entitled to Fifa compensation as international break injures Gakpo, Mbappe and Isak

The extended September/October international break has already taken a heavy toll on clubs, with two full rounds of fixtures still to come. Among the Premier League players to have sustained injuries are Cody Gakpo, Bruno Fernandes, Alexander Isak, Nico O'Reilly, Kai Havertz, Brian Brobbey and Dan Ballard. Real Madrid striker and France captain Kylian Mbappe also picked up an injury during the window.

But while clubs count the cost of losing key men, football's world governing body offers a financial safety net. "Clubs whose players suffer injuries on international duty are awarded compensation by Fifa in certain circumstances," the BBC's Ask Me Anything team reports.

How Fifa's Club Protection Programme works

If a player on international duty suffers a new injury that prevents them from taking part in full training or matches for a minimum of 28 days, their club is entitled to financial compensation from the Fifa Club Protection Programme.

The compensation package, calculated on a player's salary, covers breaks in which international "A" matches are played on the dates of the official international match calendar. The eligible period begins the moment a player leaves their home or parent club's address to attend international duty, and runs until either midnight local time on the day they return home or 48 hours after leaving their national team — whichever comes first.

The numbers behind a payout

A maximum of 7.5m euros can be compensated at a daily "pro rata" rate of 20,548 euros per day. That ceiling applies to a player who misses a full year, with 365 days the maximum period for which a club can be compensated for any individual. Compensation is paid directly to clubs by Fifa, but only salary is covered — bonuses and one-off payments written into a contract are not taken into account.

Which injuries qualify?

Clubs only become entitled to compensation where a player sustains a fresh injury while on duty with their country and is then ruled out for at least a continuous period of 28 days. A club can receive compensation for the same player and same injury for a maximum of 365 days.

The programme stops paying if the player returns to full training or matches, if their contract expires, if the player dies or changes occupation, or if the club has already received the maximum permitted amount for that individual.

Pre-existing injuries that recur during an international period are not covered. However, should a player pick up an injury that later reoccurs less than 30 days later, the club will be entitled to compensation.

The scheme does not cover players who become sick, permanently disabled or die, nor those who sustain self-inflicted injuries or attempt to take their own life.

A separate UEFA scheme

The Fifa programme is distinct from the payments clubs receive simply for releasing players. Prior BBC Sport reporting on 30 September 2026 noted that UEFA is set to pay clubs a total of £205m for releasing players for Nations League and Euro 2028 qualifier duty — a different compensation system under which a payment is triggered only when a called-up player is named on a teamsheet. Tournaments outside the Nations League operate their own compensation arrangements.

This article is based on the latest reporting from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.