November Internationals!!!

The much loved domestic break is upon us and we have an action packed week of internationals with a lot to play for...

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE
It is the final 2 group games and due to the format there is something for everyone. In League A, the top 2 teams in each group go into quarter finals, 3rd goes into a relegation play-off while 4th is directly relegated...

Scotland are currently bottom of Group 1 and need a miracle to advance. They host 2nd placed Croatia on Friday before going to Poland on Monday. Portugal lead the group on 10 points, with matches against Poland and Croatia. The Croats are on 7 points, Poland 4 and the Scots 1.

In Group 2 leaders Italy are in Belgium first then potentially a group decider against France in Milan. Italy have 10pts, France 9, Belgium 4 and Israel have 0 points.

Germany have already booked their place in the quarters, leading group 3 with 10 points. Netherlands and Hungary are tied on 5 each, meaning their game in Amsterdam on Saturday is massive for both. Bosnia, with just 1 point, will need perfection and a bit of help as they go to Germany and host the Dutch.

Spain (10pts) are another side already qualified, while Switzerland (1) can only reach the relegation play-off at best. Denmark (7pts) and Serbia (4) are the 2 battling for the second quarter place, and meet in the final game. Before then Denmark host Spain and Serbia go to Switzerland.

The quarter finals are 2 legged affairs in March before June semi finals and final (one leg each).


In League B the top team is promoted, 2nd goes into a play-off against 3rd in League A, 3rd go into a relegation play-off and 4th are relegated.

Group 1 is very close, with Czechia top on 7pts. Georgia and Albania have 6 points and Ukraine are on 4. Georgia vs Ukraine and Albania vs Czechia is first on Saturday, followed by Albania vs Ukraine and Czechia vs Georgia on Tuesday.

Group 2 finds Greece at the top in 12 points, 3 ahead of England. Republic of Ireland have 3 points while Finland are pointless. Thursdays game in Athens between the top 2 will thus be vital, with England hosting the Irish and Greece in Finland for Sundays conclusion.

Norway, Austria and Slovenia all have 7 points in group 3 - Kazakhstan adrift with 1. Austria are away in Almaty while Slovenia host Norway on Thursday. The final games are Austria vs Slovenia and Norway vs Kazakhstan on Sunday.

Turkey will finish in the top 2 of Group 4, but will need to beat Wales on Saturday to win the group with a game to spare. They are away to pointless Montenegro in the final game while Wales host Iceland.

For the teams in League C, first is promotion, second have a play-off with a league B side, 3rd has no reward or punishment and 4th is either direct relegation or a play-off.

Sweden and Slovakia lead group 1 on 10 points each, so Saturdays meeting between the 2 in Solna could be key. Estonia and Azerbaijan are fighting for safety.

Romania (12) lead group 2 from Kosovo (9), with Cyprus (3) and Lithuania (0). The top 2 meet on Friday in Bucharest.

Northern Ireland lead a tight group 3 on 7 points. They host 2nd placed Belarus (6) on Friday, with a trip to Luxembourg to conclude their league stage. Bulgaria (5) aren't out of it, while Luxembourg have 2 points.

North Macedonia are all but sure of Group 4 glory, 6 points clear of Armenia and Latvia (4 each) with Faroe Islands a point back.

League D has just 2 groups, but arguably gave us the best story. San Marino won a game but sit second, having played a game less than their group mates. Gibraltar are top on 5, San Marino have 3 and Liechtenstein are on 2 - with San Marino playing the other 2 this week.
Moldova and Malta both have 6 points, with Andorra on 0. Andorra play both the others in the last 2 games on this stage so all to play for...


CONMEBOL WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Just 8 games left, and the table is taking some shape.
Argentina lead the way on 22 points, with Colombia on 19 after losing for the first time during the October fixtures. Uruguay haven't scored in 4 games, but still sit in 3rd on 16 points, level with a rejuvenated Brazil who won both October games. Ecuador are 5th on 13pts with Paraguay level on points in 6th, the final automatic qualification place. Bolivia are 7th with 12 points, sitting in the inter-confederation play-off place.
Venezuela, chasing their debut WC appearance, have fallen out of the qualification places on 11pts, while Peru and Chile are a bit adrift on 6 and 5 respectively.

Matchday 11 is Thursday night/Friday morning and sees the following fixtures:
Venezuela vs Brazil
Paraguay vs Argentina
Ecuador vs Bolivia
Uruguay vs Colombia
Peru vs Chile

Matchday 12 is over Tuesday night into Wednesday:
Bolivia vs Paraguay
Colombia vs Ecuador
Argentina vs Peru
Chile vs Venezuela
Brazil vs Uruguay.

AFC WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
Over in Asia we head into the halfway point of the Third round. Top 2 here qualify for WC26, while 3rd and 4th go into a 4th round and 5th and 6th are eliminated.

Iran and Uzbekistan lead Group A with 10 points each. The latter are chasing a debut WC appearance but have 2 tricky away ties against Qatar and North Korea this week. Iran are also in North Korea, before travelling to Kyrgyzstan. UAE and Qatar face each other in the second match day in what looks a key fixture.

South Korea had a slow start, but have established themselves atop group B, 3 points clear of Jordan and Iraq. The leaders have away fixtures in Kuwait and Palestine (played in Jordan) and will put distance between themselves and 3rd as Iraq host Jordan on Thursday.

Japan have had a strong start in Group C, but behind them it is very close with Australia, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on 5 points and Indonesia and China on 3 points. Australia host Saudi Arabia on Thursday in a massive game, while the Aussies then travel to Bahrain to face the team that shocked them in game 1. Japan are away to the bottom 2.


CONCACAF NATIONS LEAGUE
Two legged quarter finals headline the North American action. Steve McClaren see's his Jamaica side face USA, Mexico play Honduras, Canada meet Suriname and Costa Rica face-off with Panama.

AFRICAN CUP OF NATIONS QUALIFIERS
The conclusion of the qualification stages and still a lot to play for.
The big story is Ghana, who look unlikely to qualify in Group F. Angola (12pts) are already through while Sudan (7) have a 5 point advantage over the Ghanaians. Ghana go to Angola before hosting eliminated Niger while Sudan go to Niger and host Angola.

OCEANIC WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Round 2 concludes this week. Top 2 go into the third round, bottom 2 go out. There are no home and away fixtures, the 4 teams in a group play each other once in a centralised venue.
Papa New Guinea host group A, but New Caledonia and Fiji lead the way after winning their opening games. They meet in the final game, but it could be academic if New Caledonia beat Solomon Islands and Fiji beat the hosts.
No surprise that New Zealand won their opener, and they face fellow game 1 winners Vanuatu in game 2. Samoa face Tahiti and then New Zealand in the final game, all played in New Zealand.
The semi-finals and final are in March with one WC place and one play-off place up for grabs.