2020 – 2029
Pandemic football, Messi’s crown and the new calendar
Football stopped for three months, returned behind closed doors, then crammed its calendar to catch up. Lionel Messi finally won the World Cup, Manchester City won a treble, and the Champions League scrapped the group stage for a single league table.
Four defining moments
- 2020Football pauses for COVID-19; Bayern win the Champions League in Lisbon.
- 2022Argentina beat France on penalties in the greatest World Cup final.
- 2023Manchester City win the treble; the Champions League adopts the Swiss model.
- 2025PSG win their first Champions League; the Club World Cup expands to 32 teams.
Why this decade matters
The 2020s are defined by calendar pressure. More matches, more competitions, more injuries — and a growing argument about whether the season can keep expanding without breaking the players who fill it.