Football

With club soccer coming to a pause, international matches will take center stage for the next two weeks spanning the end of September and beginning of October.

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To ease the burden on the club calendar, the regular September and October FIFA international breaks have been combined into one two-week bloc, in which most national teams will play a total of four games instead of the usual two.

For some, that means the beginning of new competition, while for others friendlies will be played. For all, the new four-year cycle begins as the 2030 World Cup becomes the sole focus for federations, coaches, and players as they target a top performances in the next edition of the most important tournament in the sport.

The Sporting News brings you the eight most notable matches to look for on your television this coming international break, which spans two full weeks and has more games than ever to savor until club football returns.

Best games for international break: September-October 2026

Netherlands vs. Germany (Thu, Sep. 24): Jurgen Klopp’s debut

The first game for Jurgen Klopp in charge of the German national team will come on the road in the UEFA Nations League against the Netherlands in Amsterdam.

The 59-year-old decided to come out of semi-retirement with Red Bull football to coach Die Mannschaft, last having coached Liverpool in the 2023/24 season. Klopp has never coached on the national team level, but is expected to transition into the international game seamlessly.

The biggest question is finding out how Germany will play. National team football is typically more conservative than the tactical trends at the club level, because managers have very little training time to implement more complicated schemes. Will Klopp fall in line and change his high-tempo style for the international game, or try to establish something more intense and hope his players pick it up?

Ivory Coast vs. Ghana (Thu, Sep. 24): AFCON qualifying banger

It can be hard to find top-tier matchups in AFCON qualifying, because usually the best teams get drawn into groups with lower-level opponents. Yet these two African giants were drawn into the same group, giving fans something to enjoy from the early stages of this tournament’s qualifying structure.

This matchup was largely made possible by the recent fall of Ghana’s global standing, as their #74 FIFA ranking in April at the time of the group stage draw made them a Pot 2 team and thus paved the way for a pair of games against one of Africa’s most prominent sides.

Ivory Coast were impressive at the World Cup, but fell in the Round of 32 to Erling Haaland and Norway in a nail-biter. Here they get a chance to prove they are still one of Africa’s most dominant football nations.

Turkey vs. France (Fri, Sep. 25): Zinedine Zidane’s debut

Also on the road for his first game in charge is Zinedine Zidane, whose France will take on Turkey at Kocaeli Stadium in Izmit.

Now in the job he has coveted for years, Zidane will hope to capture the same magic that saw him lead Real Madrid to three straight Champions League titles between 2015 and 2018.

The former France national team superstar, who made 108 appearances for Les Bleus while scoring 31 goals, will now get to take charge of the side as they gun for a second UEFA Nations League title.

MORE: Zidane’s first France national team roster

England vs. Spain (Sat, Sep. 26): Top-five matchup

Defending World Cup champions Spain begin their four-year cycle as reigning title-winners with a high-powered UEFA Nations League blockbuster against England, with both teams ranked in the top four of FIFA’s global list.

After his World Cup triumph, head coach Luis de la Fuente has signed a new contract through Euro 2032, meaning this is his first match in charge under his new deal.

England, meanwhile, have plenty riding on their Nations League performances this month. Head coach Thomas Tuchel has garnered significant criticism for how the Three Lions were eliminated from the World Cup, and he must prove the fourth-ranked side globally can still go toe-to-toe with the best teams on the planet.

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Norway vs. Portugal (Sun, Sep. 27): Ronaldo embarks on international swansong

After claiming that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his last, 41-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is nearing the end of his international career. While we don’t know exactly when he will retire, it’s likely that Ronaldo’s final match will come in the next year or two, meaning he has very few big international games left in his career.

That makes this matchup against Erling Haaland’s Norway at Ullevall Stadion in Oslo appointment viewing. Ronaldo has a good relationship with new Portugal coach Jorge Jesus, as the two worked together at Al Nassr previously.

Not knowing when Ronaldo will eventually hang up his boots on the international level, this game against top-tier opposition is a must-watch to see if Jesus can return the national team’s swagger after a World Cup which saw them play completely bereft of any needle.

MORE: Ronaldo included in Jesus’s first Portugal national team roster

France vs. Italy (Fri, Oct. 2): Can Italy return to prominence?

With Roberto Mancini in charge for his second stint as Italy manager, the Azzurri are hoping to finally return to the upper echelon of international football as they embark on their next UEFA Nations League slate.

Drawn into a group with Belgium, Turkey, and France, it’s their match against Les Bleus in Paris which will draw the most interest from a global audience.

Italy beat France at Parc-des-Princes during group stage play of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League, and can trouble any top side on their day. But a depleted talent base and wayward management of the federation has caused the consistency to crumble, seeing them fail to qualify for each of the last three World Cup tournaments.

At least seven points — or even going three-for-three — from their international fixtures this September and October would go a long way towards restoring faith in the new direction of the program.

USA vs. Mexico (Sat, Oct. 3): Cavan Sullivan tastes CONCACAF rivalry

16-year-old American sensation Cavan Sullivan has enjoyed a fantastic last few months with the Philadelphia Union, which has seen him earn a call-up to the USMNT for the first time. Being so good so young, there’s a belief that Sullivan could be one of the best players in U.S. national team history in the future.

While we don’t know for sure when Mauricio Pochettino will give Sullivan his debut, but it’s expected that he will go in the USMNT’s first match of this international break, when they play Peru on September 26 in Orlando. However, even if that happens, the biggest match of the American slate this international window is against their closest rivals Mexico.

Should Sullivan be afforded the chance, this could be his first taste of the USMNT’s biggest rivalry, and his first chance to become a true household name in the United States if he can make an impact against El Tri.

MORE: USMNT roster for fall 2026 friendlies | Where is Christian Pulisic? | Cavan Sullivan targets USMNT debut

Argentina vs. Benin (Tue, Oct. 6): Lionel Messi’s farewell

While many of the previous games on this list are focused on debuts, this one is a farewell, as the greatest of all-time, Lionel Messi, will officially bid farewell to the Argentina national team, called up for this international break to just one game, their match match against 93rd-ranked Benin at Estadio Monumental.

Few players are intrinsically linked to their national team as much if not more than their club football career. Of course, Messi is forever linked with his former club Barcelona, where he spent much of his career, but his most defining moments undoubtedly came in a national team jersey.

Now 39 years old, having played 207 international matches and scoring 125 goals for the Albiceleste, Messi will get one last chance to see the field for his beloved national team. 

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