Are Clubs Compensated for Players Injured on International Duty?

Under specific conditions, clubs can receive compensation from Fifa when their players are injured while representing their national teams.

Bruno Fernandes, Cody Gakpo, Alexander Isak, Nico O’Reilly, Kai Havertz, Brian Brobbey and Dan Ballard are among the Premier League players who have already picked up injuries during the prolonged September and October international window, despite two rounds of matches still being left to play.

France captain and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe was also injured during the same international period.

A club may qualify for financial support through the Fifa Club Protection Programme if one of its players suffers a new injury on international duty and is unable to participate fully in training or matches for at least 28 days.

The amount awarded is calculated according to the player’s salary and applies to international windows in which senior national-team matches take place on officially scheduled dates.

Coverage begins when the player leaves their home or club address to join the national team. It ends either at local midnight on the day the player arrives home or 48 hours after departing from the national squad, whichever occurs first.

Clubs can receive up to 7.5 million euros, calculated at a daily proportional rate of 20,548 euros. The highest payment would apply when a player is unavailable for an entire year, as compensation is capped at 365 days.

Payments are made directly to clubs by Fifa, football’s global governing organisation. The scheme covers only a player’s salary, excluding contractual bonuses and other one-time payments.