Top International Games to Watch out for
Round 2 of the March 2025 FIFA international break is here! There are lots of interesting matches to look forward to.
Round 1 of the games went mostly as expected but fans were disappointed not to see Lionel Messi and Neymar in action for Argentina and Brazil.
Both players developed last-minute fitness issues and were made to sit out the international break. This also means that the fabled Messi vs Neymar match, which has not happened since the 2019 Copa America, will have to wait a little longer.
It was a surprise to see Portugal, led by the indefatigable Cristiano Ronaldo, lose to Denmark, though. He and his team had a shot at revenge in the second leg and they managed to qualify for the quarter-finals on penalties.
With that being said, here are the most interesting games to look forward to in the second round of fixtures in the March 2025 international break.
Argentina v Brazil – 26 March
On 26 March 2025, another iteration of the classic Argentina v Brazil match will take place. As stated in the introduction to this article, fans will not see Messi and Neymar face off. However, they will see many fast-rising stars like Raphinha, Rodrygo Goes and Vinícius Jr. against the likes of Julián Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister & Co.
Raphinha has stepped up to fill Neymar’s shoes in recent international breaks for Brazil but in this game, fans may not see him at full throttle. This is because of Barcelona’s LaLiga game on 27 March, less than 48 hours after Brazil’s Argentina clash. Still, we expect this match to be a spectacle with the rising stars who will be on display.
Mexico v Panama – 24 March
Mexico comfortably beat Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal in round 1 to set up a final match with either USA or Panama. While the world expected Mauricio Pochettino’s US team to face Mexico in the final, it is Panama instead that will have the chance to shake the hierarchy of North American football.
The USA v Panama semifinal gave us one of the most iconic moments of the year 2025 in football when, after scoring the goal that took Panama to the final, Cecilio Waterman ran to celebrate with the legendary Thierry Henry, who was on punditry duties for CBS Sports at the game’s location. This heartfelt moment set the final up to be a must-watch because Henry will surely be there once again to cover the game and he — along with the rest of the world — will be rooting for the underdogs.
Nigeria v Zimbabwe – 25 March
Eric Chelle got off to a great start as manager of the Nigerian national football team as his selection beat Rwanda 2-0 in Kigali. His tactics left much to be desired, however, but the man can count himself lucky to have the calibre of players he does at his disposal. Now, Nigeria’s path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has become even more complicated by that win, but they have to keep on winning to stand a chance of being at the biggest FIFA World Cup yet. This match will be played in Nigeria and Chelle will count on the brilliance of Victor Osimhen once again to help the team maintain their new-found momentum.