Another month, another international break.
Do not despair, domestic league devotees: this particular one is the last of its kind. In the meantime though, there’s a smorgasbord of tasty World Cup qualifying fixtures to sink your teeth into, with several big nations facing a fight to secure their spot at the table next summer.
Here are five matches worth keeping an eye on.
For information on how to watch the various matches where you are, check UEFA’s broadcast partner list here.
Czech Republic v Croatia, Fortuna Arena
Thursday, October 9, 2:45pm ET/7:45pm BST
The last time the Czech Republic played a World Cup finals match, Petr Cech lined up in goal, Tomas Rosicky joined Pavel Nedved in midfield, and Milan Baros started up front.
Almost two decades on from that 3-0 defeat by eventual champions Italy, they may not boast the same names as that golden generation, but Nároďák are dreaming of a place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico next year.
Four wins from five in Group L have put Ivan Hasek’s side within sight of just a fifth World Cup finals qualification since 1970, a dreary record for a nation who had been within 90 minutes of conquering international football in 1934 and 1962, then as Czechoslovakia.
Looming large in the doorway of automatic qualification is a Croatia side, level on points with a game in hand, who know all too well about the pain of falling agonizingly short.
Having finished third on a stunning World Cup debut in 1998 (hat tip Golden Boot winner Davor Suker), Croatia were beaten finalists in 2018 before rounding out the podium once again in Qatar two years ago.
For Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic, enduring bastions of the country’s second golden generation at a combined 76-years-young, this is — surely — the last dance on the biggest stage. Both started in the 4-0 rout of Montenegro last month that made it a perfect four wins from four in qualifying so far, with Perisic adding his 37th international goal in injury time.
Having scored 17 and conceded just once, the only faint blot on the card of Zlatko Dalic’s side was a Tomas Soucek strike conceded in a 5-1 thrashing of Thursday’s opponents in June.
The Czech Republic’s hopes of once again breaching that miserly back line have been dealt a huge blow by the absence of striker Patrick Schick, who picked up a thigh injury in Bayer Leverkusen’s win at St. Pauli last month.
The 29-year-old had been in fine form for club and country, netting three in the Bundesliga and four in World Cup qualifying. It puts huge pressure on towering Slavia Prague frontman Tomas Chory to fill the void when Croatia pitch up to his club’s stomping grounds.
Serbia v Albania, Dubocica Stadium
Saturday, October 11, 2:45pm ET/7:45pm BST
Undoubtedly more than a few eyebrows hit the roof of FIFA’s Zurich headquarters when Albania and Serbia were drawn in the same qualifying group last December.
No brief preview can do justice to the complexity and depth of rivalry between the two Balkan countries. Fraught since the 19th century, relations have massively soured since the late 1990s after the pair fought for control of Kosovo, a disputed republic sandwiched between them that Serbia believes is the cradle of its civilisation but is now more than 90 per cent Albanian.
In 2008, Kosovo, strongly supported by Albania, declared its independence from Serbia, who do not recognize them as a sovereign state. The subject came to dominate all matches between Albania and Serbia but — since a chaos-filled European qualifier in 2016 was abandoned — the duo had avoided each other until both qualified for Euro 2024.
Their rivalry was one of the stories of the tournament despite the two teams never actually meeting on the pitch, a fate that became unavoidable when they faced off for their opening Group K qualifier in June.
Bournemouth’s Serbian goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, the former New England Revolution No 1, saved a penalty to help the visitors secure a 0-0 in front of a hostile Tirana crowd in the Albanian capital, yet there will be a very different cross-section of supporters in place for the reverse fixture.
No tickets — home or away — were made available for the match in Leskovac following the game’s assessment as the “highest security risk”, the Serbian Football Association announced last week, with tickets instead distributed to regional federations, clubs, football school students and other selected groups.
England’s seemingly imminent clinching of top spot drastically lowers the odds of both Balkan sides making it to next year’s tournament, with Serbia able to leapfrog Albania into second with a win.
Yet while FIFA may eventually be able to relax, UEFA have not afforded themselves the same luxury, having confirmed the Balkan rivals as the co-hosts of the European U21 Championship in 2027.
Belgium v North Macedonia, Planet Group Arena
Friday, October 10, 2:45pm ET/7:45pm BST
England, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and *checks notes* North Macedonia: all the European giants are sitting pretty and undefeated at the top of their respective qualifying groups.
Group J has been one great jolly fairytale for North Macedonia, who sit one point above Friday’s hosts Belgium heading into the crunch match in Ghent.
Granted, the Lynxes have played a game more, but let that take nothing away from the magnificent campaign mounted by a nation whose sole major international tournament appearance came at Euro 2020.
Having fallen just short of making it to the 2022 World Cup, losing 2-0 to Portugal in a play-off, Blagoja Milevski’s team have been impressive in qualifying again, beating Kazakhstan and Liechtenstein (twice) before holding both Wales and Belgium to 1-1 draws in Skopje.
They could be even further ahead had it not been for a 96th minute equalizer from Welsh winger David Brooks in March, and now face their toughest task yet with a trip to formidable – but by no means invincible – Belgium.
Though Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and the injured Romelu Lukaku keep flying the flag for the country’s golden generation, Rudi Garcia is overseeing a new-look team that looks as potent as it is porous.
Two 6-0 dismantlings of Liechtenstein and Kazakhstan were preceded by the throwing away of a lead late in North Macedonia and a dizzying 4-3 triumph over Wales, where a last-gasp De Bruyne strike spared his side the blushes of somehow squandering a three goal home lead.
After a miserable group stage exit in Qatar, Belgium could seriously do without another slip up.
Gennaro Gattuso’s Italy can ill-afford to slip-up against Israel. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
Italy v Israel, Bluenergy Stadium
Tuesday, October 14, 7:45pm BST/2:45pm ET
Serbia’s hosting of Kosovo isn’t the only matchup causing UEFA a political and logistical headache this week.
Security concerns loom over both of Israel’s upcoming fixtures in Norway and Italy in light of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, with the first match in Oslo to be played under heightened security measures and a reduced capacity following news of a planned pro-Palestine protest, according to Reuters.
Workers demonstrated as part of a general strike in support of Palestinians and against the government in Italy last week, leading the mayor of Udine to call for the game to be postponed.
The match is set to go ahead in front of a reduced capacity at the home of Udinese, despite Italy boss Genaro Gattuso’s reservations.
“It’s not going to be a calm environment. There will be 10,000 people outside the stadium and 5 – 6,000 inside the stadium,” Gattuso, speaking from the Coverciano training centre in Florence that was targeted by Pro-Palestinian protestors calling for the game to be called off last week, said Tuesday.
“We have to play this match. Because if we don’t, we’ll lose it 3-0,” he added, referencing the rules around forfeiting matches.
Some Italian fans turned their back on the Israeli anthem ahead of a nine-goal barnstormer in the reverse fixture last month, which saw Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali fizz home a 91st minute effort to clinch a crucial 5-4 victory for the Azzurri.
With Erling Haaland turbocharging a flawless Norway to the summit of Group I, the Scandinavians will book their ticket to a first World Cup since 1998 should Italy fail to win either of their games against Estonia (Saturday) and Israel.
Level on points with Israel (albeit with a game in hand) heading into the week, there is simply no room for error in the four-time world champions’ desperate bid to avoid watching next year’s action from the sofa for the third tournament running.
Northern Ireland v Germany, Windsor Park
Monday, October 13, 2:45pm ET/7:45pm BST
It’s hardly panic stations yet, but German fans would be forgiven for feeling a little uneasy heading into this week’s double header.
An opening loss in Slovakia, their first ever away defeat in a World Cup qualifier, instantly put Julian Nagelsmann’s side on the backfoot. Though they prevented a slip up from snowballing into a full blown disaster by (eventually) seeing off Northern Ireland at home, Slovakia’s subsequent win over Luxembourg puts the Falcons in early control of Group A.
It’s a sense of unease exacerbated by what has been, by their supreme standards, a stumbling recent record in the big competitions. Having reached at least the semi-final stage in all but one of the World Cups and European Championships held between 2002 and 2016, Die Mannschaft have failed to progress from a World Cup group or reached a Euros final four since.
Over a decade on from that fourth world crown in Brazil, Germany are in sore need of their next great core. Hope abounds that Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala and Nick Woltemade will carry the torch, but one need only compare the names among the squad that travelled to Rio in 2014 and those picked to face Luxembourg and Northern Ireland to see the stark contrast in star power.
Injuries have not helped. Key starters Musiala, Kai Havertz, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Antonio Rudiger remain sidelined, a boost to a Northern Ireland side who will have taken heart from the reverse fixture.
Having eased past Luxembourg, Michael O’Neill’s young team were 20 minutes away from securing a precious point in Cologne before Nadiem Amiri and Wirtz struck in quick succession to make it 3-1.
It should give them belief in their quest to end a 40-year wait for a World Cup return ahead of back-to-back decisive home bouts in Belfast, with Windsor Park sure to be rocking for the arrival of Slovakia (Friday) and Germany.
