International Break: Messi's Farewell, Klopp's Debut, and Spain Chase the Nations League

The frantic opening stretch of the 2026-27 season in Europe is over, and now comes something very different: three weeks of international break in which many countries will play as many as four matches before club football returns on October 9. There's a lot on the table: European Championship and Africa Cup of Nations qualifying both get underway, while the Copa America and Gold Cup already loom in the background. It's a packed schedule, so it's worth going through what to watch over the next 15 days.

Mexico and the United States, opposite philosophies before their October 3 clash

With Mauricio Pochettino back on the bench, the United States will use this window to shake up the roster: of the 28 players called up, as many as 13 could make their debut, eight of them still teenagers, including 16-year-old sensation Cavan Sullivan. Pulisic, Balogun and McKennie are getting a break, and the striking detail is that there isn't a single player over 30 on this list.

Mexico, under Rafael Marquez, is taking a different route: leaning on a core of veterans, though there's no shortage of new faces either, like Chivas academy products Santiago Sandoval and Hugo Camberos, plus teenage standout Gilberto Mora. In fact, El Tri has 11 players aged 23 or younger. The meeting between the two sides on October 3 promises fireworks in the fight for regional supremacy.

Messi's farewell

When Lionel Messi announced his international retirement back in August, the mood in Argentina was, above all, one of gratitude. That's what sparked the idea of giving him a proper send-off, which turned out to be no simple task, between finding opponents willing to travel and dealing with the sanction requiring the first matches to be played at half capacity following the incidents at the World Cup. That's why Messi will wear the shirt for the last time on October 6 against Benin, at the River Plate stadium, the largest in South America.

Before that, in Cordoba, against Bolivia and Burkina Faso, the big question starts to get an answer: what does Argentina do without its star? Julian Alvarez has already shown he can fill that role, just look at the 4-1 win over Brazil, but there's also the temptation to hand the number 10 to Nico Paz, the great Como prospect who for years has been seen as the natural heir.

England wants to turn the page

England arrives at this window with an odd mix of pride and lingering frustration: its best World Cup in 60 years, but also the sense of what might have been after falling 2-1 to Argentina in the semifinals. Thomas Tuchel admitted his substitutions in that match caused a stir, though he insists most fans remember other things.

99.9% of the people I talk to don't mention the substitutions, they talk about the good momentsThomas Tuchel

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Cole Palmer, two notable World Cup absentees, return with something to prove. The first test is a big one: Spain, the world champions, visit Wembley on Saturday, followed by tricky trips against Czechia and Croatia.

New benches in Germany, the Netherlands and France

Jurgen Klopp has already introduced himself as Germany's head coach with a message just 29 seconds long, and for this first block of four matches he called up 44 players split into two groups. His debut comes this Thursday against the Netherlands, who are also breaking in a new coach: Xavi Hernandez, who has already left out names like Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst. In France, Zinedine Zidane takes over from Didier Deschamps with a 23-man squad featuring five uncapped players, leaving N'Golo Kante out for now.

What inspires me is the game. I want to see these players and this team playingZinedine Zidane

Spain chases the triple crown

The reigning world and European champions, Spain, need only the Nations League to complete the treble. They lost the 2025 final to Portugal on penalties after winning the tournament in 2023, so they arrive hungry for revenge. The first test comes at none other than Wembley, against England, a repeat of the Euro 2024 final. The usual core remains: Unai Simon, Pau Cubarsi, Pedri, Rodri, Lamine Yamal. Luis de la Fuente's challenge is to avoid complacency and keep Yamal sharp, who, despite a strong World Cup, wasn't entirely satisfied with his own level.

Africa begins the road to 2027

The African continent returns to competitive action for the first time since the World Cup, with the start of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations: 48 national teams split into 12 groups, with two matchdays in this window and the process wrapping up in March. Herve Renard returns to Ivory Coast eleven years after winning the AFCON with the Elephants, and he'll make his debut against none other than Ghana. Patrick Vieira begins his tenure with Senegal with a clear goal in mind.

I've come here to win titlesPatrick Vieira

South Africa, with Pitso Mosimane back in charge, has a lot riding on its match against Guinea. Morocco opens against Gabon, Algeria (now under Brahim Hemdani) hosts Zambia, and Egypt travels to face Angola. Nigeria, without the injured Victor Osimhen, hosts Madagascar with little room for error, while Cameroon looks to bounce back from missing the World Cup against Comoros and Congo-Brazzaville. After qualifying wraps up, several national teams, including DR Congo, Ivory Coast and South Africa, will play a string of friendlies, rounding out a packed calendar that promises more than a few surprises before the month is out.