Best September International Games

The international break is here and club football fans are not too excited about it. Managers of clubs all around the world are, however, because it gives them two weeks of rest from the fast-paced action of club league football.

Enforced by the world football governing body FIFA, and managed by different confederations, the international break provides national teams with the opportunity to face each other in friendlies and qualifiers in preparation for the next continental and global tournaments.

With that being established, EPLNews brings you the top matches across all federations to look out for in the September international break.

USA vs Canada – 7 September

Jesse Marsch was believed to be on his way to becoming the USMNT’s manager before he accepted the Canada role.

He showed what he was capable of bringing to the table as a manager in the Copa America which the USA hosted, leading Canada all the way to the semi-finals where they were knocked out by eventual winners Argentina.

Mike Varas will lead the USMNT against Marsch’s Canada in a not-so-friendly exhibition match. Meanwhile, the USMNT will work to finalise Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment leading up to the game and he will be expected to watch the match from the stands.

France vs Italy – 6 September

Kylian Mbappé will appreciate the break from LaLiga action as he gears up to lead Les Bleus out against The Azzurri in France’s UEFA Nations League match against Italy.

The former Paris Saint-Germain attacker, who got his first two goals of the LaLiga season at the weekend against Real Betis will be returning to his former stomping grounds, Parc De Princes, which will host this clash. The familiar grounds and the familiar crowd could spur Mbappé to return to his best form which he will surely carry to Madrid after the international break is done.

England vs Ireland – 7 September

This former United Kingdom member nations derby is always heated as both sides bring both their political and sporting angst to the pitch. However, this would be very interesting for fans of the England national football team, the Three Lions, to watch, as well as neutrals.

The reason this match holds much significance is that this would be the first game without Gareth Southgate, the longest-serving national team manager in this era.

Southgate led England to the final of the Euros once again, and once again, failed to capture the title. He left his role immediately and England have been searching for a replacement since. Many want to see how the team will play without Southgate so they will be tuned in on the day.

Netherlands vs Germany – 10 September

This is a match that many will be looking forward to thanks to the much-changed German national team.

Following their brilliant but disappointing exit in the 2024 UEFA European Championships which they hosted, they lost Thomas Müller (131 caps), İlkay Gündoğan (82 caps) and Manuel Neuer (124 caps).

This veteran backbone has now given way to a new spine to form and Julian Nagelsmann is on top of the matter. He will be fielding a team that is not too different from the team that played the Euros, but many will be interested in seeing how he fares with them in order to gauge the future of German football.

Also worth noting that the new German national team captain is Bayern Munich key player Joshua Kimmich. It will be interesting to see how he lives up to the task in this game.

Nigeria vs Benin Republic – 7 September

On the continent of Africa, qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations will kick off in this September international break.

The game between Nigeria and Benin Republic will be one to watch because the three-time AFCON winners – who narrowly lost out on a fourth title earlier in the year – are without a coach and in turmoil.

How they perform against Benin will be the official stamp on their status as a football powerhouse in Africa.