How many players will Real Madrid need for next season? For the first time, there will be a World Cup in the middle of the campaign, something that will have a huge impact on the season.
In the case of Real Madrid, the problem of fatigue weighs even more heavily, as they will start the official campaign on August 10 with the European Super Cup against Eintracht Frankfurt in Helsinki.
A month earlier, on July 8, Carlo Ancelotti's men are scheduled to begin preparations for the strange and demanding 2022/23 season.
LaLiga Santander will kick off for Real Madrid on August 14, while the Champions League will begin in the first week of September, with the group stage finishing in the first week of November.
A week later, the different national teams will start their training camps as they prepare to take part in the World Cup, something that will affect the majority of the squad.
The World Cup will run until December 18, and LaLiga Santander will return immediately.
With the start of 2023, Real Madrid will have the Supercopa de Espana in Saudi Arabia from January 11-15 and the Copa del Rey.
In February, if all goes well, the Champions League will return, as well as continuing with the Copa del Rey and LaLiga Santander.
The question mark over the Club World Cup
The question that remains to be answered is when the FIFA Club World Cup will be played. The most recent edition was played in February.
The truth is that the games keep on coming, and it's getting increasingly difficult to fit them all in. Now it's hard to imagine a squad being able to manage them all.
If things go well, a Real Madrid first-team player could play more than 70 games, starting on July 8, 2022, to June 10, 2023, the day of the 2022/23 Champions League final.
What can be done? There will be 38 LaLiga Santander games, possibly 13 Champions League games, two Supercopa de Espana matches, another in the European Super Cup, possibly six Copa del Rey games and another two in the Club World Cup. Then there could be 10 national team games.
What seems clear is that planning will be more important than ever next season. Real Madrid's coaching staff are already aware of this and are working on it.