Al-Zamalek Club entered the preparation period for the new season starting from the beginning of the current week on August 1, about 3 weeks before the launch of the league competition for the 2026-2027 season, while incomplete in its ranks and without clear features for the preparations of the competition title holder to defend the shield.
Al-Zamalek, which faced great suffering during the past season and was subjected to a registration ban in addition to being unable to retain some of its players due to the termination of their contracts, won the league title, but it does not seem to have been fully ready for the new season as it was the last to begin the preparation period.
Al-Zamalek's ranks are still incomplete until now, as the team is still joining the camp after being notified of all details at a late date, while others carried out an individual preparation program pending a decision on the camp.
But how could the compressed preparation period imposed by circumstances affect Al-Zamalek before the start of the new season?
The International Federation of Professional Footballers FIFPRO issued a study in June 2025 that sets 12 medical standards as the minimum to protect professional football players from match pressure, short recovery periods, and preparation.
The study stated that the preparation period must be preceded by at least 4 weeks of rest between seasons, then at least 4 weeks of physical and technical preparation after rest and before the first official match.
The International Federation of Professional Footballers gathered a group of medical and performance experts already working in professional football and presented them with a set of proposals in three consecutive rounds, with proposals considered approved only if they received at least 75% approval from the experts.
The study aims to transform medical knowledge and practical experience into standards that federations, league associations, and tournament organizers can rely on when designing the calendar.
Experts from all continental federations around the world, including the Confederation of African Football, participated in the study.
A preparation period program with a minimum of 4 weeks
The first week is allocated to conducting medical examinations and physical measurements and determining the individual status of each player, before gradually increasing loads, with training focusing on restoring aerobic fitness, strengthening muscles, and improving flexibility, in addition to low- and medium-intensity ball training, while avoiding a sudden transition from rest to high loads.
In the second week, training intensity gradually increases, with the introduction of strength, endurance, intermittent speed, and small-sided games training, and the start of applying technical and tactical ideas, and it is possible to play the first friendly match with precise distribution of participation minutes, so that players are not required to complete 90 minutes at this stage.
The third week represents the stage of approaching competition requirements, through speed, strength, and repeated sprint training, in addition to work on pressing, transitions, collective organization, and set pieces. During it, one or two friendly matches can be played, with the participation minutes of key players gradually increased.
As for the fourth week, it is allocated to reaching competitive readiness and stabilizing the lineup and playing style, with reducing the volume of loads while maintaining the required intensity, and it is preferable to play the last friendly match a few days before the start of the league so that players have enough time to recover before the first official match.
A dilemma facing the technical staff
If the league is to start on August 20, the minimum recommended by FIFPRO requires starting the preparation period no later than around July 23, while starting training on August 1 gives the team only 20 days, a period about 10 days less than the proposed medical minimum.
The short preparation period puts the technical staff in front of a difficult equation; if loads are increased quickly to compensate for the lack of time, players may suffer from fatigue, accumulated tiredness, and increased likelihood of muscular injuries, but if low loads are maintained, the team may start the season without the required readiness, which could appear in declining performance in the final minutes, weakness in the ability to repeat sprints and pressing, and slow recovery between matches.
The short duration also reduces the time available to test new elements, stabilize the playing style, build understanding between the lines, and address errors during friendly matches, and the team may have to complete its preparation during official matches, making the first weeks of the league an extension of the preparation period and exposing performance and results to fluctuation.
The shortness of the preparation period does not mean that injuries will occur inevitably, and the FIFPRO study did not specify a numerical percentage for the increase in injuries when falling below four weeks, but it considered the four weeks the minimum necessary to build players' ability to gradually bear competition loads and reduce risks associated with a rapid return to matches.
Results of the short preparation period
A recent study published by "Frontier" followed 13 professional players from the Brazilian league during a 12-day preparation that included 16 training sessions, a training match, and only one rest day.
Jump height, maximum strength, muscular power, and contraction speed decreased after preparation, and some indicators remained low even after the first 60 days of competitions.
The researchers concluded that the short and intense preparation caused neuromuscular fatigue and incomplete recovery; this study may not exactly match Al-Zamalek's situation in terms of preparation period duration, but it illustrates the expected results regarding a short preparation period.
The expected practical outcome from a three-week preparation
The studies previously mentioned indicate that the most likely scenario is that the team will achieve progress in some endurance and fitness indicators, but it may start the league before the full readiness of speed, strength, and repeated sprints is complete.
Significant differences between players may also appear, such that some become ready while others enter matches while still in the fitness-building phase or suffering from load fatigue.
The risk increases if the technical staff tries to compress a four- or six-week program into three weeks, because that reduces recovery periods and may lead to a decline in explosive strength and an increase in training injuries.
Conversely, if loads are reduced to avoid injuries, the team may have to complete its preparation during the first rounds of the league.
