The September international break has delivered plenty of excitement across Europe and Africa, with surprise results, new milestones, dramatic comebacks and, unfortunately, a growing injury list.
Nations League: Spain shine, Greece stun Germany
The UEFA Nations League has already produced several major talking points.
Spain came from behind to beat England 3-2 at Wembley, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring the winner — repeating his decisive role against England in the Euro 2024 final. Lamine Yamal also got on the scoresheet as Spain continued their strong start to the new Nations League campaign.
Greece produced one of the biggest shocks by defeating Germany 1-0, securing their first-ever victory over Germany in the Nations League. Portugal also maintained their winning start, beating Norway 2-1 after Gonçalo Ramos scored the decisive goal.
France also began the Zinédine Zidane era with a 1-0 victory over Türkiye. Kylian Mbappé scored the winning goal — his 67th for France — but the victory was overshadowed by an injury to the captain.
Records and milestones
Erling Haaland continues to write his name into Nations League history. UEFA lists the Norway striker as the competition’s all-time leading scorer with 22 goals. He also scored twice against Denmark and added another against Portugal during this international window.
Finland’s Joel Pohjanpalo also made history of his own, scoring the first hat-trick of the 2026/27 Nations League edition in Finland’s 7-0 demolition of San Marino.
Africa: Nigeria fight back as big nations make winning starts
The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers have also provided plenty of drama.
Nigeria began their campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar. Madagascar took the lead, but George Ilenikhena equalised before substitute Moses Usor scored the winner on his debut for the Super Eagles.
Morocco defeated Gabon 2-0, Algeria beat Zambia 3-1, Cameroon defeated Comoros 3-1, while Côte d’Ivoire opened their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Ghana.
One of the most entertaining African results came from Zimbabwe, who recovered from 2-0 down to beat Sierra Leone 3-2. Marshall Munetsi scored twice, including the late winner, to complete a remarkable comeback.
The disappointing results
Not every major nation enjoyed a perfect start.
Egypt, the record seven-time African champions, were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at home by Angola. Senegal also dropped points after drawing 1-1 with Mozambique in Patrick Vieira’s first competitive match as Senegal coach.
The short turnaround between qualifying matches means some teams will have very little time to recover before the next fixtures.
The bad news: Injuries piling up
The biggest concern from the European side has been injuries.
Mbappé picked up an injury after scoring for France against Türkiye, and according to Real Madrid Mbappe suffered a hyperextension of the posterior capsule of his left knee, and he is expected to be out for 10-12 days. Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala, Arsenal attacker Kai Havertz, while Liverpool forward both Alexandere Isak and Cody Gakpo was forced off during the Netherlands’ 2-1 victory over Serbia. Manchester United duo Bruno Fernandes and defender Patrick Dorgu have also been reported among the players dealing with fitness problems during the international window. Sunderland Brian Brobbey and Daniel Ballard also among these lists.
Africa has not escaped the injury problems either.
Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen missed the opening two AFCON qualifiers after suffering a muscle strain in his right thigh. CAF confirmed that his recovery was taking longer than initially expected.
Ghana also lost Manchester City forward Antoine Semenyo, who withdrew from the squad because of a swollen leg, while defender Alexander Djiku was later ruled out of Ghana’s second qualifier after suffering an injury against Côte d’Ivoire.
A break full of highs and lows
From Spain’s comeback at Wembley and Greece’s historic victory over Germany to Nigeria’s fightback and Zimbabwe’s stunning turnaround, the international break has already produced plenty of memorable football.
But behind the goals and records is another story: national teams are fighting for important points while clubs anxiously wait to see which players return fit.
With more Nations League and AFCON qualifying matches still being played, the international window could yet produce more records, surprises and injury concerns.
