International breaks are planned throughout the domestic season, with the Nations League and start of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign
There are three international breaks before Christmas(Image credit: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
When's the next international break, then? They're never too far away.
With Euro 2024 boxed off, attentions turn not just to the 2026 World Cup but to the Nations League. England have six games to get promoted back to the A-tier of the competition – with Lee Carsley looking to put his mark on the team.
The international breaks are spread across the season as an opportunity to keep some kind of continuity with national teams. With accusations that the standard of international football has dropped way behind club level, this is a chance not just to build rapport among players but get fans on board, too.
Some aren't too thrilled with the number of international breaks, however. With players subjected to more football than ever before, the argument is that six international fixtures before Christmas is overkill. Global Head of Football Development at FIFA, Arsene Wenger, has even suggested scrapping them completely, to condense international tournament qualification into a succinct, pre-season challenge.
For now though, international breaks are a major part of the season. They give the Premier League pause for thought and allow for breakout stars throughout the campaign to earn a place playing for their country in between the domestic season.
There's plenty to play for internationally, after all: the Nations League finals are set for next year, with another World Cup to roll around another 12 months after that. Time really does fly – and FourFourTwo are here to tell you exactly which dates you'll need for your diary
There are five international breaks in 2024/25 (Image credit: Getty Images)
When are the international breaks this season?
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Nations League
October 7, 2024
October 15, 2024
Nations League
November 11, 2024
November 19, 2024
Nations League quarter-finals and playoffs Championship qualifiers
March 20, 2025
March 23, 2025
World Cup qualfiers
March 21, 2025
March 25, 2025
Nations League finals
June 4, 2025
June 8, 2025
World Cup qualfiers
June 6, 2025
June 10, 2025
The Nations League is currently in progress. The league phase has been split into three international breaks, with the first completed in September 2024. The next two are going to be in November and December.
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Scotland are in the A-league, reserved for the elite of Europe, while England and Wales are in the B-league, one tier below. The Scots are up against Croatia, Portugal and Poland in A1, the Three Lions have Finland, the Republic of Ireland and Greece in Group B2, while Wales are playing Iceland, Montenegro and Turkey in B4. Northern Ireland, meanwhile, are competing against against Luxembourg, Bulgaria and Belarus in Group C3.
The quarter-finals and playoffs will be played in March 2025. June will see the finals, while those who don't make it will have World Cup qualifiers to look forward to.
The Nations League finals take place next year (Image credit: Getty)
At the time of writing, however, the World Cup qualification groups have not yet been decided. With an expansion to 48 nations competing in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026 though, there will be a whopping 16 places on offer to European countries at the next tournament.
Qualification is relatively straightforward (and it isn't always, so thank heavens for small mercies, eh?). There will be 12 UEFA qualification groups, with the winners will all qualifying straight to tournament, no questions asked. The 12 runners-up will be put into a play-off round.
The Nations League plays its part, too. The four highest-ranked Nations League teams who have not finished in the top two places of their World Cup qualifying group will be going into the play-off round, too, where 16 teams will fight it out for four more spots – and Wales are one country that will be keeping a keen eye on their form in this competition, as they profited from a good Nations League showing to help them get to the 2022 World Cup.
Simple, eh? Either way, we should have plenty of international football to fill in those blank Premier League rounds over the next season.
Rich Laverty has been a women’s football writer for a decade now, covering the game across the FA WSL, several FA Cup finals and live from the 2017 European Championships and 2019 World Cup. He has written regularly for publications in the UK and USA, including The Times, Guardian, Independent, iSport, FourFourTwo, Bleacher Report, The Blizzard, These Football Times and Our Game Magazine.
