There will be no shortage of football around the globe as European club football takes its final breath of 2025 in preparation for a frenetic conclusion to the year.
Some may view the upcoming interval as the ideal opportunity to step away from it all. The calendars are so condensed that the action is unrelenting. If you opted against reconnecting with friends and family or even enjoying fresher air away from your television during the previous two breaks at the start of the 2025–26 season, such tasks may suddenly appeal.
However, for those still content in their soccer bubble and unwilling to connect with the outside world, the sport will be delivering treats from an array of spheres before Europe’s premier divisions make a comeback.
Here are ten of the best games for you to tuck into during the November international break.
Croatia vs. Faroe Islands
Mad.
— HLTCO (@HLTCO) October 12, 2025
The Faroe Islands have a population of just 55,000.
During this international break they’ve smashed Montenegro 4-0 and have just beaten Czechia 2-1 to sit just one point outside a World Cup play-off place with one game left to play. pic.twitter.com/IyzsYF32R4
- Date: Friday, November 14
- Kick-off Time: 7.45 p.m. GMT / 2.45 p.m. ET / 11.45 a.m. PT
The Faroe Islands are FIFA’s 127th-ranked nation, yet the archipelago, boasting a population of merely 55,000 people, still has a shot of qualifying for the 48-team World Cup next summer.
They sit third in their qualifying group with four wins from seven, including a historic 2–1 victory over Czechia last month, who they’re just a point adrift of with one qualifier each left.
However, if the Faroes are to edge the Central Europeans to a playoff berth, they require a mini miracle. Victory over group winners Croatia is paramount, but minnows Gibraltar must also record the first point of their qualifying campaign in Prague when they face Czechia three days later.
CAF World Cup Qualifying Second Round Playoffs
- Date: Thursday, November 13 – Sunday, November 16
CAF World Cup qualifying has been an arduous journey, but nine African nations have booked their places in North America next summer after the first round drew to a close in October.
Now, the four best-performing runners-up in the nine groups are vying to keep their hopes alive when they meet in the playoffs this month. The semifinals take place on Thursday, with Nigeria, who barely scraped into this phase over Burkina Faso and Niger, facing Gabon and Cameroon taking on the DR Congo.
The winners will then progress into the final on Sunday, with the victor qualifying for the inter-confederation playoffs in March. All three games are being held in Morocco.
Canada vs. Ecuador
- Date: Friday, November 14*
- Kick-off Time: 12.30 a.m. GMT / 7.30 p.m. ET / 4.30 p.m. PT
After a productive September, Jesse Marsch’s Canada were setback by an in-form Australia side at the start of their October slate, but they rebounded against Colombia, grinding out a goalless stalemate.
Marsch is once again without injured star man Alphonso Davies as they face off with a stubborn Ecuador in Toronto. Their upcoming opponents were held by the USMNT last month, but their form during CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying suggests this will be another big test for the tournament co-hosts.
Les Rouges’ upcoming friendlies arrive in the wake of a stunning conclusion to the 2025 Canadian Premier League, with Atlético Ottawa claiming a 2–1 victory over Cavalry in a blizzard that forced an hour-long delay at the end of normal time.
Brazil vs. Senegal
- Date: Saturday, November 15
- Kick-off Time: 4 p.m. GMT / 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT
It looked like Brazil were going to enjoy a mightily productive tour of the Far East when they raced into a 2–0 lead over Japan, having thumped South Korea 5–0 days before. However, manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted his side “mentally collapsed” in the second-half, as Japan secured their first-ever victory over the Seleção.
Brazil’s World Cup qualifying campaign ranks among their most inauspicious in recent memory, but they’ve snuck into the tournament and will be expected to enjoy a deep run in North America despite their recent indifference.
Ancelotti’s appointment hasn’t yet had the desired effect, and the all-time great coach has just a couple of camps to learn a few more things about his squad before the start of the World Cup.
However, unlike South American and world champions Argentina, they are testing themselves in the lead-up to the tournament. Their friendly with a mightily talented Senegal side, hosted by Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, should be a belting affair.
Italy vs. Norway
- Date: Sunday, November 16
- Kick-off Time: 7.45 p.m. GMT / 2.45 p.m. ET / 11.45 a.m. PT
Luciano Spalletti’s fate was sealed when Italy succumbed 3–0 to Norway in the summer, but little did the Italian Football Federation know they’d just been defeated by a Nordic behemoth.
Norway have been nothing short of dominant in World Cup qualifying, maintaining a 100% record through six games while boasting a goal difference of +29. Italy are three points worse off, but they’ve clicked under new manager Gennaro Gattuso.
Thus, the four-time world champions who have missed the previous two tournaments are assured of a playoff berth. They require a mammoth victory over the purring Norwegians to pip them to top spot, and we could be in for a high-quality qualifier in Milan on Sunday night.
Germany vs. Slovakia
- Date: Monday, November 17
- Kick-off Time: 7.45 p.m. GMT / 2.45 p.m. ET / 11.45 a.m. PT
Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany dazzled on home soil at Euro 2024 before losing to eventual champions Spain in extra-time of their quarterfinal tie. They’ve since failed to build on the momentum gained from that impressive campaign, and their place at next summer’s World Cup isn’t yet guaranteed with two matchdays in Group A remaining.
However, they have recovered from a 2–0 defeat to Slovakia on Matchday 1, winning their next three to leave them top of the group on goal difference.
There’s a chance the reverse fixture with Slovakia is a winner-takes-all affair, with the two nations level on nine points. However, a Northern Ireland result in Košice on Friday could throw a spanner in the works and ensure the Germans’ safe progression before the final matchday.
Nagelsmann’s side should record another victory against Luxembourg before hosting Slovakia on Monday night.
Scotland vs. Denmark
- Date: Tuesday, November 18
- Kick-off Time: 7.45 p.m. GMT / 2.45 p.m. ET / 11.45 a.m. PT
It’s poised to be a dramatic break for 75% of the Home Nations, with England already considering flight packages to North America and their choice of airport pints.
For their neighbors, though, the stakes couldn’t be higher as their respective qualifying campaigns conclude. Northern Ireland likely need two wins to make the playoffs, Wales’ fate will probably be decided when they host second-place North Macedonia, while Scotland could be in a direct shootout with Denmark to qualify automatically.
The two nations sit atop Group D with ten points each, and next Tuesday’s contest between the pair at Hampden Park will decide who tops the group. Scotland need to take care of business in Greece on Saturday first, though.
USMNT vs. Uruguay
- Date: Wednesday, November 19*
- Kick-off Time: Midnight GMT / 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
October was a good month for Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT. They impressed against a tough Ecuador outfit in a 1–1 draw before edging an Australia side that previously hadn’t tasted defeat in 2025 2–1.
There’s finally a sense of some momentum building within the USMNT camp ahead of their final two fixtures of 2025. Once again, tricky tests against physical South American opponents are on the horizon.
Both Paraguay and Uruguay will be involved in North America next summer, with the latter the bigger draw of the two nations. Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez may no longer be wreaking havoc for La Celeste, but Uruguay possess an abundance of talent and the most idiosyncratic of coaches on the touchline.
Poch will relish the duel with his former mentor, Marcelo Bielsa.
Arsenal Women vs. Real Madrid Femenino
- Date: Wednesday, November 19
- Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
There are two Women’s Champions League gameweeks to enjoy during the November international break, with the bulk of the blockbusters preserved for next week.
Holders Arsenal started their defence on a losing note, but they returned to winning ways against Benfica last time out. After facing Bayern Munich away from home this week, the Gunners welcome Real Madrid to north London on November 19.
Madrid are two from two in the league phase, but continue to lag behind Barcelona domestically. Still, they represent a stern test for Renée Slegers’s team, with Arsenal faltering at the start of 2025–26.
Chelsea Women vs. Barcelona Femenino
- Date: Thursday, November 20
- Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. GMT / 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT
Barcelona have long set the standard in the women’s game, and they look determined in their bid to recapture the continental crown this term.
They have tasted defeat domestically but still lead Liga F by four points. In Europe, Barça have crushed Bayern Munich 7–1 and Roma 4–0, thrusting them to the top of the league phase table at this early juncture.
Chelsea, the runaway Women’s Super League winners last season, are still unbeaten in 2025–26, but they were cast aside 8–2 on aggregate by their upcoming opponents in the Champions League semifinals earlier this year. Revenge is on their minds, but are Barcelona simply too strong?
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as USMNT, Brazil, Women’s UCL—The 10 Soccer Games You Must Watch This Week.
