Between September 20th and October 10th, many football fans will have to do without their favourite club. Club football will largely be put on hold during an extraordinary break.
FIFA have introduced the so-called 'XL International Break', which will debut in 2026. Between September 24th and October 6th, 2026, European and African national teams will play up to 4 matches instead of the usual 2. FIFA have introduced this measure to reduce the number of international breaks from 3 to 2 per season.
World champions Spain, for example, will play four UEFA Nations League games against England, the Czech Republic, and Croatia (twice) over ten days. Morocco will play just two games, facing Gabon and Lesotho in AFCON qualifiers on September 23rd and 27th.
International youth teams will also feature in the international break, with three rounds of U21 Euro qualifiers and one round of U17 Euro qualifiers scheduled.
Teams from other continents will feature in several friendly matches. For example, Brazil will face Australia twice in four days before meeting India in Kolkata. Meanwhile, Mexico will face Colombia, Peru, USA, and Chile in friendlies.
Smaller CONCACAF teams will play in the first stage of the CONCACAF Nations League, while the eight teams from the Arabian Peninsula will feature in the Arabian Gulf Cup.
The break largely affects European leagues, with competitions such as American Major League Soccer, Argentine Liga Profesional, Brazilian Serie A, and Mexican Liga MX continuing as scheduled.
Exceptions exist, however, with the Japanese J-League and South African Premiership as examples of leagues that will also go on a three-week hiatus.
Examples of European leagues that will continue during the XL International Break are the following:
Dutch Eerste Divisie
English League One and League Two
Finnish Veikkausliga
Irish First Division
Want to know which leagues and teams will play during the XL International Break? Find out now on Flashscore.