In the midst of an overloaded calendar for footballers around the world, six months from a World Cup organized at the end of the autumn in Qatar, after two seasons marked by the Covid-19 and the discussions on the hypothesis to organize a World Cup every two years, the League of Nations still sits, unscathed, in the agenda of European selections.

The event launched in 2018 by the European Confederation even offers, in the coming days, four meetings per nation, during an enlarged gathering to compensate for the busy weeks of the next school year.

For this third edition, after the success of Portugal at home and then of France, in October 2021 during a spectacular "Final 4" in Italy, the recipe for the event remains the same: to offer matches at stake, balanced, instead of the historic friendly matches that are often difficult to organize and of little interest to the players, especially in June, after a long season.

Clogged calendar

"Nothing replaces competition. There are bound to be posters, because the best teams are in the best leagues (divisions), and for the public there is more interest when there is an objective to finish first. At the time, we were going on tour (abroad), it was certainly pleasant, but hey, to concern the players it was always difficult", remarked coach Didier Deschamps on Saturday, rather favorable to the formula.

French coach Didier Deschamps with Kylian Mbappé in training at Clairefontaine-en-Yvelines, near Paris, May 30, 2022 FRANCK FIFE AFP

The boss of the world champions can indeed rejoice: the title of the Blues in the fall, with great victories against Belgium (3-2) and Spain (2-1), has given balm to the hearts of Tricolor following a failed Euro (elimination in the 8th), and also gave him credit as a coach after ten years of reign.

But the analysis is not the same for everyone: by occupying a large number of dates, the event deprives non-European selections of duels against the big names of the Old Continent.

For example, since their defeat against Belgium in the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup, Brazil have played only one friendly against a European selection, a 3-1 victory over the Czech Republic, in 2019.

UEFA-Conmebol merger

The president of the South American confederation (Conmebol) Alejandro Dominguez thus announced, at the beginning of April, the study of a project for a Transatlantic League of Nations by 2023, "much more positive than a World Cup every two years " according to him for the selections of his continent.

The president of Conmebol, Alejandro Dominguez, on November 25, 2021 in Montevideo during a tribute to Diego Maradona Dante FERNANDEZ AFP / Archives

Asked about this idea on the sidelines of the Champions League final in Paris, UEFA boss Alexander Ceferin nevertheless wished to temporize.

"We are discussing, it is a possibility but for the moment it is not really concrete," explained the Slovenian leader in an interview with AFP.

"It can be an interesting competition but we have to look at how to place it, so that there are no more matches than now. It's a complicated exercise".

In the meantime, a transatlantic project has nevertheless already seen the light of day: the "Finalissima", a gala match scheduled for Wednesday in London between Italy and Argentina, respective holders of the Euro and the Copa America...

© 2022 AFP