Howden’s latest men’s European football injury index puts clubs’ injury costs at €3.45 billion ($3.94 billion) over five years. Paris Saint-Germain ranked first, followed by Real Madrid and Barcelona; the ranking predates this season’s injury list.
International call-ups put players’ training, nutrition and workload outside their clubs’ control. Clubs continue paying full salaries during absences and may also face replacement costs and sporting losses, including dropped points that can affect league position, Champions League qualification, broadcast income and prize money. FIFA’s Club Protection Program is designed to reimburse clubs for international-duty injuries, but its caps and conditions often leave a gap between payouts and the full commercial cost of an absence.
Alphonso Davies tore his ACL 12 minutes into Canada’s March 2025 Nations League third-place match against the US, three days after playing 90 minutes of a semifinal; surgery sidelined him for about six months. His agent accused coach Jesse Marsch of pressuring an unfit player to play; Bayern sports director Max Eberl said the injury hit the club particularly hard. Royal Charleroi sued FIFA after Abdelmajid Oulmers’ serious injury on international duty in 2004, despite warning FIFA that he already had a knock; the resulting legal pressure was a direct catalyst for the program created in 2012.
