The 2024/25 International Season Preview

As domestic seasons around Europe and beyond get underway, what does 2024/25 have in store for the international game?

On the eve of the so-called top five leagues getting underway, a question absolutely no one is asking is, “What does international football have in store for 2024/25?”

Well, I’m glad you didn’t ask, because here is my handy guide to what to expect from the national teams’ calendar over the next 10 months or so, plus who and what to look out for in what promises to be a pivotal time for many nations.

What’s going on?

As with recent years, we will have international windows in September, October, November, March and June.

From September to November, European sides will be engaged in the league phase of the UEFA Nations League, back for its fourth instalment.

The four best teams from League A will head to the Finals, which will be played in June, while in March, European qualifying for the 2026 World Cup gets underway.

The Nations League also takes centre stage in the CONCACAF region, with league matches played in September and October, the quarter-finals in November, and the finals in March.

2026 World Cup qualifying is the only focus for three continents; in Asia, the remaining 18 teams begin the third round, with all 10 matchdays taking place between September and June.

Things will be heating up in South America, too, where come the end of June, there will be just two matches left for each team, as the 10-team format comes to a close in September 2025.

In Oceania, the smallest four teams contest the first round of qualifying in September, with the winner moving on to an eight-team second round played in October and November. The best four will play in the semi-finals and final in March to determine who takes the only guaranteed OFC place.

That all means we will have at least one World Cup qualifier by March, and at least seven by June, but probably a few more!

After a break of a year, North & Central America and Caribbean second round qualifying resumes in June 2025.

In Africa, qualifying returns in March, as from September to November, teams will be involved in qualifying for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Any tournaments?

After an Africa Cup of Nations, European Championship, Copa América, OFC Nations Cup and Olympic Games in the space of eight months, unsurprisingly this season is a little lighter on major tournaments.

But never fear, CONCACAF is coming to our rescue with the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup in June!

Scheduled from 14th June to 6th July, the tournament will be hosted in… well, we don’t know yet! Either it’ll be hosted by the United States alone, or alongside their 2026 World Cup buddies; Canada and Mexico.

The CONCACAF Nations League will act as the main qualification tournament for the 24-team tournament, last played in 2023 and won by Mexico.

The finals start just days after the last matchday of second round qualifying for the World Cup, thus a very busy period lies in wait for many sides north of the Panama Canal.

Elsewhere, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda are due to host the 2024 African Nations Championship, but dates are still to be determined. Spread across the whole of the Southeast Asia region, the 2024 ASEAN Championship will be played in December and January.

Who to watch?

A poor start to World Cup qualifying means Brazil are at risk of missing out on the finals for the first time. Fortunately for them, the sixth place they currently occupy is the final automatic qualifying spot, owing to the tournament expansion. A difficult autumn, though, could make March matches with Colombia and Argentina very interesting.

Spain will have a target on their backs, not only as European champions, but as current UEFA Nations League holders. La Roja continued their golden summer with Olympic gold medals in Paris, showing the enormous strength in depth they possess. They play in League A Group 4 with Denmark, Switzerland and Serbia.

League B will feature Georgia, a favourite of many after Euro 2024. A League D team in the inaugural competition, they will have a real go against Czechia, Ukraine and Albania, giving themselves a real chance at another promotion.

In Asia, potential World Cup debutants are the ones to watch; Uzbekistan will have their sights set on getting the better of either Iran or Qatar, while Jordan, Oman and Palestine will be aiming to get the better of Iraq in their group, in which South Korea are clear favourites.

Comoros, Rwanda and Sudan are the surprise leaders of their World Cup qualifying groups, while Nigeria are the worst performing of the continent’s established teams.

Eyes will be on the United States on and off the pitch this season - the team’s recent displays can be considered inconsistent at best. Not only will they want to show improvement by winning a fourth CONCACAF Nations League title, but they will want to use the Gold Cup to fine tune their tournament organisational skills, after narrowly avoiding a disaster at the Copa América.

What about the managerial merry-go-round?

It feels like a big time for international managerial appointments and vacancies, a rare moment where this facet of football is rivalling the club game.

The memes are at the ready for Steve McClaren at Jamaica, while departing Jamaica boss Heimir Hallgrímsson was a shock choice for Ireland, and fans’ anger will be directed to the Football Association of Ireland, rather than the Icelander, should he get off to a bad start.

Former Ireland international Lee Carsley has taken interim charge of England after Gareth Southgate stepped down. Southgate, like Carsley, initially got the job on an interim basis having been promoted from the youth setup.

Didier Deschamps seems to be staying on as France manager, yet the prospect of Zinedine Zidane taking over continues to linger.

And just today, news is breaking that the aforementioned United States will be appointing Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach!

So much to look forward to over the coming season! Let me know who you think is destined for a big year, who you are watching out for and any other predictions you have!

Anthony Tomas is a football writer and commentator, who writes for Flashscore and World Soccer Magazine.