The first international window of the 2026-27 football season has ended, and the international season of national-team football has come to an end.
Unlike previous seasons, FIFA merged the traditional September and October windows into a longer international period for football. The new format had 16 days to play and there were four Nations League games for European teams. The change has already attracted criticism from several managers for the long time in the game and the high demands in terms of the workload on players.
The final major matches were played on October 6, ending the first international phase.
Spain, France and England among the teams Making Headlines
The UEFA Nations League gave plenty of useful results.
Spain continued their impressive run by beating Croatia 2-1 with Mikel Merino scoring twice. That kept Spain at the top of League A3 and extended their unbeaten run to 42 matches.
England also finished the window strongly, defeating the Czech Republic 3-0. Harry Kane scored twice and equalled Peter Shilton's England appearance record with his 125th cap.
France also finished strongly with a 4-1 win over Belgium while Portugal defeated Norway 2-1. UEFA's official results show that the Nations League will continue in November when the remaining league-phase matches will be played.
Injury Concerns Become the Biggest Story
International performances were celebrated by fans but many clubs were worried about their players.
Cody Gakpo had to withdraw from Netherlands duty after an ankle injury for Liverpool. Alexander Isak left Sweden’s camp as well because of a thigh injury. Liverpool confirmed Gakpo returned to the club for further medical evaluation.
Erling Haaland also raised concerns after being substituted in Norway’s 2-1 defeat to Portugal. He came off after 67 minutes, with Norway manager Ståle Solbakken saying the striker was physically exhausted.
Other big names who had fitness issues during the window were Kylian Mbappé, Raphinha, Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala and Martin Ødegaard.
Premier League Returns
The biggest immediate change for fans is the return of club football.
The Premier League teams will now welcome their international players back before domestic games resume. After all the international time, clubs will have to take players very seriously now.
One of the biggest upcoming fixtures is Liverpool vs Manchester City on October 11. Liverpool's fitness, especially around Gakpo and Isak, will therefore be closely watched.
When is the next international break?
European international football will return in November 2026. UEFA's schedule shows that the next Nations League matches will take place from November 12-17, when teams complete the league phase and the knockout stages.
For now, the attention will turn again to club football. The big question is whether injured stars can get back on track, the international workload on players’ performances and which teams might play better when they have a big rival team without key players.
