Blockbusters! Top matches to watch during September international break
The first international break of the season is upon us, as national teams across the major continents return to action for the first time since the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
It is an historic break because the September and October breaks have been merged, meaning countries will play four matches in a 16-day period.
Previously, there were four breaks of nine days in September, October, November and March. Each country played two matches per window.
FirstDailySports takes a look at the top international matches to watch during the break.
In Europe, the national teams are back in action in the UEFA Nations League.
1. Netherlands vs Germany, Thursday, September 24.
This is the biggest game of the first day of international football with both countries back in action following a disappointing showing at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Both teams have new coaches who will be willing to start on a winning note.
Xavi Hernandez is in charge of the Netherlands team while Jürgen Klopp has been tasked with reviving the fortunes of Germany.
Both teams have been paired in Group B alongside Serbia and Greece as the tournament kicks off in style.
Netherlands were beaten on penalties by Morocco in the round of 32 at the 2026 World Cup, though they did not lose any of their four fixtures at the World Cup in 90 minutes (W2 D2).
In fact, they have not lost a competitive game in normal time since they were beaten 1-0 by Germany in the Nations League in October 2024.
The Oranje are two-time Nations League semi-finalists who reached the quarter-finals in the 2024-25 campaign; they drew 2-2 with Germany in Amsterdam during the group stage and finished in second place behind Die Mannschaft.
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Germany are unbeaten in their last four encounters with the Netherlands (W2 D2), while they can take confidence from having lost just one of their last nine away games against European nations (W6 D2) in all competitions heading into Thursday’s clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena.
2. Portugal vs Wales Thursday, September 24.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal will slug it out with Wales in the Nations League in their first match under new coach Jorge Jesus.
The Portuguese coach replaced Roberto Martinez following a poor World Cup, and he will be hoping to start his tenure at home on a winning note.
Portugal won the first-ever Nations League tournament in 2018-19, beating Netherlands 1-0 in the final, before recording a penalty-shootout victory over Spain in the 2024-25 final.
Wales have faced Portugal on four previous occasions, recording one win, which came in a friendly back in May 1951.
The only previous competitive meeting between the two sides came in the semi-finals of Euro 2016, with Portugal recording a 2-0 victory courtesy of goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani.
Both sides are in Group D alongside Norway and Denmark.
3. Ivory Coast vs Ghana Thursday, September 24.
The Elephants and the Black Stars will battle it out in the 2027 Nations Cup qualifiers following their engagements at the 2026 World Cup.
Ivory Coast crashed out in the round of 32 following a 2-1 defeat to Norway, while Ghana lost 1-0 to Colombia in the same round.
Both teams are back in action again in a Group C encounter, they are joined in the group by Somalia and Gambia.
4. Australia vs Brazil Friday, September 25.
Brazil will return to action against Australia in a friendly match on Friday after a disastrous showing at the World Cup.
The Selecao flattered to deceive in North America with insipid performances before they bowed out against Norway in the round of 16.
Carlo Ancelotti and his team will be hoping to win the trust of the Brazilian football faithful following a difficult start to life at the helm of affairs for the Italian coach.
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5. Nigeria vs Madagascar Friday, September 25.
The Super Eagles will face Madagascar in the 2027 Nations Cup qualifiers at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday.
Eric Chelle and his team will be hoping to redeem their image after they failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second consecutive time.
Both sides have met five times with Nigeria winning three, one win for Madagascar and the other clash ended in a draw.
The Super Eagles have scored five goals in those encounters while Madagascar can only boast of two.
Madagascar recorded a memorable 2-0 win over Nigeria in the group stage of the 2019 Nations Cup.
The match is slated for 5pm Nigerian time in Uyo and the Super Eagles will also take on Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday.
Both teams are in Group L alongside Tanzania and Guinea-Bissau.
6. Italy vs Belgium Friday, September 25.
This is another blockbuster clash in the Nations League with two different teams struggling for consistency facing each other for an opportunity to redeem themselves.
The Italians failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row, while Belgium also flattered to deceive at the 2026 edition.
Both teams have also appointed new coaches for the next phase of their rebuild with Italy re-appointing Roberto Mancini, while Belgium went for Mark van Bommel.
Both sides are in Group A alongside France and Turkey.
7. Turkiye vs France Friday, September 25.
The Star-studded French team have the opportunity to rewrite their mistakes at the World Cup with a clash against Turkiye under new coach Zinedine Zidane.
The former Real Madrid manager replaced Didier Deschamps after the World Cup and he has been tasked with the job of taking the team to another level.
Turkey have faced France on six previous occasions and have only managed to post one win, which was a 2-0 success in a European Championship qualifier in June 2019.
It was 1-1 when the two teams last locked horns in a European Championship qualifier in October 2019, with France’s last win in this fixture coming in June 2009.
France won the Nations League in 2020-21, beating Spain in the final, while they finished third at the 2024-25 tournament, which was ultimately won by Portugal.
8. England vs Spain Saturday, September 26.
The World Cup champions are back in action since their historic triumph in North America, where they zoomed their way through to their second World Cup trophy with a 1-0 win over Argentina.
They will face a Three Lions team, who suffered a 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals before a 6-4 win over France in the Bronze medal match under Thomas Tuchel.
The German manager was heavily criticised for the team’s performance in the semi-final clash and he will be hoping to get on the good books of the supporters with a win against Spain.
Spain, on the other hand, will aim to consolidate their new found status with a statement win over England in London.
England go into this match having won four of their last five, with their only defeat coming against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final.
Spain’s last five matches tell a different story entirely.
Spain have won their last five matches, scoring seven goals and conceding just two. Their most recent result was a 1-0 win over Argentina in the World Cup final, and they did not lose a single game throughout the tournament.
The most recent meeting between these two sides came at Euro 2024, where Spain beat England 2-1.
