Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Real Madrid's 2024-25 season. It could be 72 games in eleven months. Madness. 72 games in 334 days. With a proclamation on August 14 (European Super Cup) and a climax on July 13 (potential final of the Club World Cup). An exhausting marathon that has Real Madrid incredulous... and the footballers outraged. "It's unfeasible," said Carvajal, in an enormous exercise of self-control and restraint. He faces a season with a game every 4.5 days. That average, without stopping, until mid-July. That's ten more games than last season. And a competition: the Intercontinental Cup is back. Madness: 72 games and seven titles.

The new schedule includes ten more games: four in the revamped Champions League, the return of the Intercontinental Cup, and five additional matches in the expanded Club World Cup. The rest of the competitions remain unchanged. However, the key difference is the extension of the season by up to 44 days. Under the previous format, the season would have concluded on May 31 (the date of the 2025 Champions League final), but now the end point can stretch to July 13. The sporting pace remains almost the same (from one game every 4.7 days to one every 4.5), but the season extends by more than a month. The increased workload puts additional strain on players who are already burdened by the current schedule.

The new Champions League introduces the possibility of playing four more games: the group stage changes from six to eight matches, and the round of 32 is introduced for teams that did not finish at the top of their groups. The Intercontinental Cup will be played in December, with the Champions League winner going directly to the final, awaiting an opponent from a preliminary draw (including Auckland City, Pachuca, and the champions of the Asian and African Champions Leagues, as well as the Libertadores). Lastly, the new Club World Cup is the major calendar addition: a 32-team format held every four years, starting in 2025. What was previously a two-match tournament in February now becomes a seven-match event in June-July, culminating the season. If Madrid reaches the final, they will be playing until July 13, a season that began on August 14.

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