Why is the Bundesliga having a break at the end of January?

Not only is it unusual for there to be an international break in January, it is also very rare for there to be a period in which FIFA organises fixtures without there being any European countries involved. Nevertheless, things will be quiet across UEFA nations for the final week of January 2022.

The reason behind it is that FIFA guaranteed continental confederations in summer 2020 an extra window due to COVID-19 disruptions in autumn of that year where clubs would have to release players for national teams. Since UEFA was able to hold fixtures during that August/September window, there are no European games to be made up.

CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, the Asian and Oceanian confederations will be holding 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in January, while the Africa Cup of Nations has its knockout rounds in Cameroon.

Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs must therefore release players called up from those confederations. For the majority of those remaining, some teams will be holding training camps, others just allowing players a breather.

Players called up for January internationals:

Japan

Ko Itakura (Schalke), Genki Haraguchi (Union Berlin), Wataru Endo (VfB Stuttgart), Ao Tanaka (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Takuma Asano (Bochum)

Australia

Ajdin Hrustic (Eintracht Frankfurt), Jackson Irvine (St. Pauli), Brandon Borrello (Dynamo Dresden)

USA

Chris Richards (Hoffenheim), Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig), Ricardo Pepi (Augsburg)

Nigeria

Jamilu Collins (Paderborn), Taiwo Awoniyi (Union Berlin)

Ecuador

Piero Hincapie (Bayer Leverkusen), Carlos Gruezo (Augsburg)

Mali

Amadou Haidara (RB Leipzig), Diadie Samassekou (Hoffenheim)

South Korea

Jae-sung Lee (Mainz), Woo-yeong Jeong (Freiburg)

Burkina Faso

Edmond Tapsoba (Bayer Leverkusen)

Cameroon

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (Bayern Munich)

Chile

Charles Aranguiz (Bayer Leverkusen)

Colombia

Rafael Borre (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Egypt

Omar Marmoush (VfB Stuttgart)

Guinea

Ilaix Moriba (RB Leipzig)

Ivory Coast

Odilon Kossounou (Bayer Leverkusen)

Morocco

Aymen Barkok (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Panama

Andres Andrade (Arminia Bielefeld)

Senegal

Bouna Sarr (Bayern Munich)

Tunisia

Ellyes Skhiri (Cologne)