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    International football tracker: Sept-Oct 2026 window

    The September and October 2026 international breaks were merged into one window from 21 September to 6 October, in which UEFA nations played four Nations League matches.[1][2] World champions Spain won all four of their games, including 3-2 at England, and had already qualified for the Nations League knockout stage; England won their other three games.[3][4] The next window, in November 2026, completes the league phase.[5]

    Editor reviewedUpdated DevelopingSports

    What we know

    • The September and October 2026 breaks were merged into one 16-day window (21 Sept-6 Oct)[1]
    • Spain beat England 3-2 at Wembley on 26 September[9]
    • England won 7-0 in Croatia, a record Nations League win for England[11]
    • Spain won all four games in the window[3]
    • Portugal won all four of their Nations League games[15]
    • The USA won four home friendlies, including 3-0 against Mexico[17]

    What we don't know yet

    • Final group positions after the November 2026 matches, including whether England finish second in League A Group 3
    • The Nations League quarter-final pairings for March 2027
    • How quickly Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo return from injuries picked up on international duty
    Story status

    Story status

    State
    developing
    Started
    2026-09-21
    Timeline entries
    11
    Last entry

    Timeline data (JSON)

    The first international window of the 2026-27 season ran for 16 days, from 21 September to 6 October 2026. It merged the usual September and October breaks, so teams could play four matches instead of two.[1] It was the first window since Spain won the World Cup in July.[6] The next window runs from 9 to 17 November.[7]

    What was played

    UEFA nations played four Nations League matches. African teams played two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and Asian teams played friendlies before the January 2027 Asian Cup.[2] In CONCACAF, teams played Nations League group games and friendlies. The USA and Mexico, already through to the quarter-finals, played friendlies.[8]

    England and Spain: League A Group 3

    DateMatchResult
    26 SepEngland v Spain2-3[9]
    29 SepCzechia v England0-2[10]
    29 SepSpain v Croatia4-1[3]
    3 OctCroatia v England0-7[11]
    3 OctSpain v Czechia3-1[3]
    6 OctCroatia v Spain1-2[3]
    6 OctEngland v Czechia3-0[12]

    Spain won 3-2 at Wembley through goals from Lamine Yamal, Álex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal.[9] England then won their next three games, including a 7-0 win in Rijeka that was their biggest in the Nations League.[11] After four games, Spain led the group with 12 points and were through to the knockout stage. England were second with nine and Czechia had no points.[4] Spain visit Czechia on 12 November and host England on 15 November.[13]

    Other Nations League results

    • France took 10 points from four games, finishing the window with a 4-1 win over Belgium.[14]
    • Portugal won all four games, including 4-2 in Denmark.[15]
    • Germany won once in four: they drew 1-1 in the Netherlands, lost 1-0 at home to Greece, beat Serbia 2-0 and drew 0-0 in Greece.[16]

    Friendlies outside Europe

    The United States won four home friendlies: 4-1 against Peru, 4-2 against Chile, 3-0 against Mexico and 1-0 against Canada.[17] World Cup runners-up Argentina beat Bolivia 4-0, Burkina Faso 7-0 and Benin 3-0.[18] Brazil drew 1-1 with and then beat Australia 4-2, and beat India 4-0.[19]

    Club impact and what’s next

    Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola said Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo were injured during the break and would miss the 11 October league game against Manchester City.[20] The Premier League resumed on 10 October; see Premier League 2026-27 tracker.[21]

    The Nations League league phase continues in November with two more games per team.[5] In March 2027, Euro 2028 qualifying begins for some countries, alongside the League A quarter-finals and the promotion and relegation play-offs.[22]

    Timeline

    9 confirmed2 reported

    1. reported

      Liverpool say Isak and Gakpo, injured on international duty, will miss the City game[20]

    2. reported

      England beat Czechia 3-0; Spain win 2-1 in Croatia to qualify[12][3][4]

      Spain finished the window on 12 points, England on nine.

    3. confirmed

      France beat Belgium 4-1[14]

    4. confirmed

      England win 7-0 in Croatia[11]

      A record Nations League win for England; Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored twice each.

    5. confirmed

      USA beat Mexico 3-0 in a friendly[17]

    6. confirmed

      England win 2-0 in Czechia; Spain beat Croatia 4-1[10][3]

    7. confirmed

      Spain beat England 3-2 at Wembley[9]

    8. confirmed

      USA beat Peru 4-1 in a friendly[17]

    9. confirmed

      Nations League begins; Portugal beat Wales 1-0[15]

    10. confirmed

      Merged international window opens[1][23]

      The first 16-day window with up to four matches per team, replacing separate September and October breaks.

    11. confirmed

      Spain win the 2026 World Cup[6]

      Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in New Jersey, two months before the international window.

    Next in the crash course

    Sports

    2026 FIFA World Cup

    The 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America: Spain beat Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final. Key results, records and what came next.

    More in Sports

    Questions readers ask

    Why was there a three-week international break in 2026?

    FIFA merged the September and October windows into one 16-day period from 21 September to 6 October 2026. Teams could play four matches instead of two, which FIFA approved in 2023 partly for player welfare and to cut intercontinental travel.[1][23]

    How did England do in the October 2026 international window?

    England lost 3-2 to Spain at Wembley, then won 2-0 in Czechia, 7-0 in Croatia and 3-0 at home to Czechia.[9][10][11][12]

    When do England play Spain again?

    Spain host England on 15 November 2026 in the Nations League. England host Croatia on 12 November.[13]

    Who did the USA play in the international window?

    The United States played four home friendlies, beating Peru 4-1, Chile 4-2, Mexico 3-0 and Canada 1-0. The USA and Mexico had already qualified for the CONCACAF Nations League quarter-finals.[17][8]

    When does Euro 2028 qualifying start?

    In March 2027 for some countries, alongside the Nations League quarter-finals and play-offs.[22]

    Sources

    · 23 claims from 6 publishers

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Tap a number in the text to see its sources in place.

    1. [1]

      In 2026-27 the September and October international breaks were merged into one 16-day window from 21 September to 6 October 2026, in which countries could play four matches instead of two. confirmedas of 2026-09-05

    2. [2]

      In the 21 September-6 October 2026 window, UEFA nations played four Nations League matches, African teams two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and Asian teams friendlies before the January 2027 Asian Cup. confirmedas of 2026-09-05

    3. [3]

      Spain won all four Nations League games in the window: 3-2 at England, 4-1 v Croatia, 3-1 v Czechia and 2-1 in Croatia. confirmedas of 2026-10-06

    4. [4]

      After four matches, Spain led League A Group 3 with 12 points and had already qualified for the knockout stage; England were second with nine, Croatia third with three and Czechia bottom without a point. reportedas of 2026-10-06

    5. [5]

      The Nations League league phase continues in the November 2026 window with two more matches per team. confirmedas of 2026-09-05

    6. [6]

      Spain won the 2026 FIFA World Cup, beating Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the final at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, on 19 July 2026; Ferran Torres scored in the 106th minute. confirmedas of 2026-07-19

    7. [7]

      The remaining 2026-27 international breaks are 9-17 November 2026 and 22-30 March 2027, each with two matches. confirmedas of 2026-09-05

    8. [8]

      CONCACAF teams played Nations League group games and friendlies; the USA and Mexico, already in the quarter-finals, played friendlies. confirmedas of 2026-09-05

    9. [9]

      Spain beat England 3-2 at Wembley on 26 September 2026 in the Nations League; Lamine Yamal, Álex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal scored for Spain, Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane for England. confirmedas of 2026-09-26

    10. [10]

      England won 2-0 in Czechia on 29 September 2026. confirmedas of 2026-09-29

    11. [11]

      England beat Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka on 3 October 2026, a record Nations League win for England; Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka each scored twice. confirmedas of 2026-10-03

    12. [12]

      England beat Czechia 3-0 at Wembley on 6 October 2026, with a Vladimír Coufal own goal and two goals from Kane. confirmedas of 2026-10-06

    13. [13]

      In November, Spain visit Czechia on 12 November and host England on 15 November; England host Croatia on 12 November. reportedas of 2026-10-06

    14. [14]

      France took 10 points from their four Nations League games: 1-0 in Türkiye, 1-0 in Belgium, 1-1 v Italy and 4-1 v Belgium. confirmedas of 2026-10-05

    15. [15]

      Portugal won all four of their Nations League games: 1-0 v Wales, 2-1 in Norway, 4-2 in Denmark and 2-1 v Norway. confirmedas of 2026-10-04

    16. [16]

      Germany won one of four Nations League games: 1-1 in the Netherlands, 0-1 v Greece, 2-0 v Serbia and 0-0 in Greece. confirmedas of 2026-10-04

    17. [17]

      The United States won four home friendlies: 4-1 v Peru, 4-2 v Chile, 3-0 v Mexico and 1-0 v Canada. confirmedas of 2026-10-06

    18. [18]

      World Cup runners-up Argentina played friendlies, beating Bolivia 4-0, Burkina Faso 7-0 and Benin 3-0. confirmedas of 2026-10-06

    19. [19]

      Brazil played friendlies against Australia (1-1 and 4-2) and India (4-0). confirmedas of 2026-10-03

    20. [20]

      Iraola said Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, both injured on international duty, would miss the 11 October game against Manchester City. reportedas of 2026-10-09

    21. [21]

      The Premier League paused after Matchweek 5 on 20 September 2026 and resumed with Matchweek 6 on 10 October 2026. confirmedas of 2026-10-10

    22. [22]

      March 2027 brings the start of Euro 2028 qualifying for some countries and the Nations League League A quarter-finals and promotion/relegation play-offs. confirmedas of 2026-09-05

    23. [23]

      The Premier League says the merged window was approved by the FIFA Council in 2023, with player welfare a factor, and is meant to reduce separate periods of intercontinental travel. confirmedas of 2026-09-05

    Revision history (1)
    1. Page created after the 21 September-6 October window.

    Created Oct 11, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 11, 2026. Next scheduled review: Nov 12, 2026.

    Cite this page

    "International football tracker: Sept-Oct 2026 window." ContentLora, updated Oct 11, 2026. https://contentlora.com/events/international-football-october-2026-tracker

    Spotted an error? Suggest a correction or emailcorrections@contentlora.com.

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