Club football is about to take a back seat from September 21, national teams will take over the football calendar as the first major international window of the 2026/27 season brings together continental qualifiers, Nations League fixtures and a series of high-profile friendlies.
And for Nigerian football fans, this is more than another interruption to some NPFL club’s season. It is the beginning of the Super Eagles’ journey towards the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
FIFA’s official international match calendar lists the window as running from September 21 to October 6, 2026. The window will be particularly busy because different confederations are using the period for different competitions.
Africa will begin its AFCON qualifying campaign, Europe will launch the new format UEFA Nations League season, Concacaf will begin its Nations League group stage, while several other nations will use the window for international friendlies. Here is what to expect.
Africa: The road to AFCON 2027 begins
The biggest story is the race for the 2027 AFCON, CAF has scheduled Matchdays 1 and 2 of the qualifying campaign for the September 21-October 6 FIFA window. Matchdays 3 and 4 will follow in November, with the final two rounds scheduled for March 2027.
The qualification draw produced 12 groups of four teams, with 48 nations involved in the group stage. The top two teams in most groups will qualify for the finals, while the groups containing hosts Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have a slightly different qualification arrangement because of their automatic places.
Among the groups is Group L, where Nigeria will face Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania. that makes September particularly important for the Super Eagles.
Nigeria begin another qualification journey
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have retained 26th place in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings but slipped to fourth in Africa. Photocredit: Imago
Nigeria’s first AFCON 2027 qualifier is now scheduled for September 23, when the Super Eagles host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
Four days later, Nigeria will travel to face Guinea-Bissau on September 27. The fixtures have been reported from the official Super Eagles schedule.
It is a potentially significant start for a Nigerian team coming off a difficult period. recall the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and the country’s football administration is currently undergoing a major reform process following the resignation of NFF president Ibrahim Musa Gusau and other principal officers.
The AFCON campaign offers Eric Chelle’s side an opportunity to begin rebuilding confidence.
Two wins from the opening two matches would immediately put Nigeria in a strong position, while anything less could increase pressure in a group containing opponents capable of making qualification uncomfortable.
Nigeria’s other Group L opponents are Tanzania, who will provide another significant test later in the campaign. CAF’s format requires each team to play six home-and-away matches.
a look at The big African ties
Nigeria are not the only heavyweight beginning their campaign. Morocco will open against Gabon on September 25 before travelling to face Lesotho four days later.
One of the most intriguing early fixtures will be Cote d’Ivoire against Ghana, with the two West African giants meeting in Group C on September 24. Ghana will then face The Gambia in their second match.
Other major nations beginning their qualifying campaigns include Egypt, Algeria, Cameroon, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
CAF’s draw placed the leading sides in groups including:
- Morocco, Gabon, Niger and Lesotho
- Egypt, Angola, Malawi and South Sudan
- Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, The Gambia and Somalia
- South Africa, Guinea, Kenya and Eritrea
- DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe
- Cameroon, Comoros, Namibia and Congo
- Tunisia, Uganda, Libya and Botswana
- Algeria, Zambia, Togo and Burundi
- Mali, Cape Verde, Rwanda and Liberia
- Nigeria, Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania
Europe: The Nations League returns
Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties to win UEFA Nations League title a year ago. Photocredit: Getty Images
While Africa begins its AFCON journey, European football will have its own major competition to focus on.
The 2026/27 UEFA Nations League begins on September 24, with the league phase running through November.
The tournament’s League A contains four heavyweight groups.
Group A1: France, Italy, Belgium, Türkiye
Group A2: Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Greece
Group A3: Spain, Croatia, England, Czechia
Group A4: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Wales.
And that means some huge fixtures are already waiting and among the headline matches are:
- England vs Spain — September 26
- Türkiye vs France — September 25
- Germany vs Netherlands — September 24
- France vs Italy — October 2
- Croatia vs England — October 3
- Norway vs Portugal — September 27
- Denmark vs Portugal — October 1
UEFA itself has identified England-Spain, Germany-Netherlands and Italy-France among the standout fixtures of the competition.
England’s schedule is particularly demanding, with Spain followed by Czechia, Croatia and another meeting with Czechia between September 26 and October 6.
So while African teams are beginning a six-match qualification journey, Europe’s biggest nations are entering a competitive Nations League campaign with plenty at stake.
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North and Central America and the Caribbean will also be busy. The 2026/27 Concacaf Nations League begins its group stage during the September-October window and will serve as the qualification pathway for the 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup.
The scale is considerable, Concacaf has confirmed 74 group-stage matches across Leagues A, B and C during the September-October window.
The competition involves all 41 Concacaf member associations, making it one of the largest concentrations of international football during the window.
The group stage continues into November before the competition reaches its decisive stages in March 2027.
Asia and the rest of the world
Not every confederation is using the window for a major senior men’s qualifying competition.
Asia’s football calendar contains a mixture of national team activity alongside its extensive club competitions, while several teams around the world have arranged friendlies during the FIFA window.
Japan, for example, have confirmed friendlies against Uruguay on September 24 and Venezuela on September 28, with further Kirin Cup fixtures scheduled in October.
Brazil are also scheduled to play Australia in a friendly on September 25, with another meeting between the teams scheduled for September 29.
These matches show one of the defining characteristics of this particular window, while some nations will be fighting for qualification points, others will be using the opportunity to experiment, rebuild or prepare for future competitions.
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From the African perspective, everything ultimately comes back to the Super Eagles with the first objective a qualification for AFCON 2027.
The second is rebuilding a team capable of competing at the highest level after missing the 2026 World Cup. And the September double-header gives Chelle the perfect competitive starting point.
Nigeria vs Madagascar in Uyo on September 23.
Guinea-Bissau vs Nigeria on September 27.
Six points would provide the ideal beginning but beyond the points, the matches will offer another opportunity to assess the direction of the Super Eagles under Chelle, particularly as Nigerian football simultaneously undergoes a leadership and structural reset.
The AFCON finals will be staged across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, with the tournament scheduled for June-July 2027. CAF has mapped the qualification process across three international windows, meaning the September matches are only the beginning of a much longer journey.
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The international break may temporarily interrupt the club season, but it will not mean a shortage of football instead, the focus simply shifts.
From September 21, Africa begins its journey towards AFCON 2027, Europe’s biggest nations begin another Nations League campaign while Concacaf launches another Gold Cup qualification cycle and several of the world’s leading football nations turn to high profile friendlies.
