The Chilean football calendar will include a break during the 2026 World Cup, even though the national team failed to qualify through the South American qualifiers. The National Professional Football Association (ANFP) confirmed the full fixture list for the First Division and established a partial interruption of the competition coinciding with the World Cup to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, as reported by Agencia Noticias Argentinas. The tournament will be played from January to December, aiming to maintain activity and broadcasts throughout the year. In this way, the local league will reduce its activity during the World Cup period, an unusual decision for a country that will not be represented in the tournament. The measure seeks to accompany the global impact of the event, which will feature 48 teams and, for now, at least six South American representatives: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Colombia, and Ecuador, pending the outcome of Bolivia's playoff. During these weeks, some clubs will be expected to fulfill commitments corresponding to the Chile Cup or the League Cup, so the activity will not stop completely. However, the schedule has a peculiarity: there will be four months with only one official matchday (January, June, July, and December), and two of them will be directly linked to the development of the World Cup. The June matchday will be played before the start of the tournament, while the July one will be scheduled for the final days of the World Cup.
