International break winners and losers: USMNT, Kylian Mbappe and Brazil all had a horrible couple of weeks

The result of the increasingly crowded international schedule has been to create some snooze-able international breaks and this was certainly in that category. However, there was still impactful action playing out across all continents and there is still the October and November international periods to come. From the UEFA Nations League to the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers, there have been teams that have fared well and not so well this September so we take a look at who has come out of the break better or worse off.

Some winners and losers.

Losers: US Men’s National Team

Another poor set of results was only salvaged by Mauricio Pochettino’s announcement as the Stars and Stripes’ new men’s head coach. However, there is no way of putting a positive spin on a 2-1 loss to Canada and a 1-1 draw with New Zealand, so it goes down as a poor September for the U.S. Since this summer, the USMNT became the first host nation to fail to emerge from its Copa America group, Gregg Berhalter was fired and Pochettino’s appointment took far longer than anticipated. On top of that, a first home defeat to the Canadians since 1957 occurred as well as a draw with the Kiwis who rank 94th in FIFA’s world rankings as part of a four-game winless run at present. Things can only get better under Pochettino, surely?

Winners: Arsenal’s Premier League rivals

Some club sides saw their players sent back having been initially summoned for international duty, but few were as unlucky as the Gunners who could now have two major in jury absences ahead of the North London Derby with Tottenham Hotspur this coming Sunday. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard and summer signing Riccardo Calafiori both picked up injuries this international break, with the Norway star likely to miss the Spurs clash. The Italy international who shone at UEFA Euro 2024 will require tests and could yet be made available to Mikel Arteta, but the potential damage has already been done with Odegaard a major doubt for this weekend with Declan Rice already suspended. Any club sides to have avoided such headaches including Chelsea with Cole Palmer, Manchester City with Phil Foden and Aston Villa with Ollie Watkins can count themselves lucky.

Losers: Brazil

The current South American qualification scenario has seen Brazil dragged back into a scrap to void an embarrassing elimination. Although unlikely at the current time, a win over Ecuador was followed by a loss to Paraguay which has now set the standings up so that the Selecao are just a point above the first of three non-qualified berths. Although not quite as desperate as Chile and Peru’s respective situations, the Brazilians cannot afford any other slip ups this year under Dorival Junior with some critical games coming up before the end of 2024.

Winners: Bolivia

It has been a stunning September for the South Americans who recorded a 4-0 home thrashing of Venezuela and then a 2-1 victory over Chile on the road. That latter result is particularly impressive from the Bolivians as it is their first World Cup qualifying win away from home since 1993, having failed in 64 previous attempts. Without the altitude, La Verde still managed to make history under Oscar Villegas who replaced Antonio Carlos Zago after this summer’s Copa America in the U.S. Currently eighth, and only out of a potential intra-confederation playoff place on goal difference to Paraguay, Bolivia are one point behind Brazil and Venezuela and two adrift of Ecuador with plenty left to play for in the CONMEBOL zone.

Losers: France, Mbappe and Deschamps

One win from two is not disastrous for Les Bleus but the manner of the 3-1 loss to Italy in Paris prompted Didier Deschamps to ring the changes against Belgium which included dropping captain Kylian Mbappe. The result? A more convincing showing and a 2-0 win to recover in Lyon. Since UEFA Euro 2024, there has been extra pressure on Deschamps and Mbappe because of the perceived misuse of the French talent pool with overly defensive tactics. Teams like Scotland and Switzerland are worse off with two losses from two, but France must ensure that they can put their lackluster 2024 behind them. The Belgians, Croatia and even European champions Spain failed to win both of their games so need to be on their guard, given the UNL influences 2026 World Cup qualification.

Winners: Italy

Having looked wretched at UEFA Euro 2024 in a Round of 16 showing which was below expectations and only secured in dramatic fashion, the Azzurri look far more convincing now. A 3-1 win away at France was followed by a narrower 2-1 success against Israel on neutral territory. Although the Italians conceded in both games, Luciano Spalletti’s side looked far more capable than they did in Germany and lead their group ahead of the French and Belgium. Also on two wins from two in the UEFA Nations League like Portugal and Denmark, could this be the start of Italy’s recovery?

Losers: Australia

A catastrophic start to the World Cup qualifiers for the Socceroos with just one single point from a possible six in AFC Group C so far. Graham Arnold’s men are yet to score a single goal across their two opening games and they have already failed to beat Bahrain and Indonesia in a group which also boasts Japan and Saudi Arabia. Losing 1-0 at home to Bahrain was inexcusable and a goalless draw in Indonesia hardly any better for a total of one point from six so far. This makes the next game against China in October absolutely critical. Japan away next month is tough but Saudi Arabia at home in November before Indonesia away to end 2024 must produce some wins if the Aussies are to even stand a chance of a top two finish. Automatic qualification could already be compromised so Arnold might not even be in charge for a potential Fourth Round berth — if it even gets that far.