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What to look for during soccer's international break
Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres celebrates after scoring during a soccer game between Belgium and Sweden. Belga

Cresting Sweden and battered Brazil: What to look for during soccer's international break

By Alyssa Clang  |  Last updated Oct 10, 2024 7:12 PM ET

Club soccer around the world — from the Premier League in England to Major League Soccer in the United States to the Primera Division in Argentina — is on pause this weekend to make way for an international break. 

It's a time for the world's best players to join up with their national teams and play crucial qualifying games for the World Cup, the Nations League and domestic cup competitions.

Nearly every international soccer team across the globe will play over the next week. With so much soccer on offer, it pays to know where to focus. Here are the three most interesting nations to follow during this international break:

Brazil

Brazil is the most successful soccer nation by some distance. It's qualified for every World Cup it's entered and come out on top five times. But after years of part-time managers, the seleçao is struggling to find its footing. South America is nearly halfway through its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign and Brazil is stranded in fifth place with a losing record.

Brazil will face two opponents during this international break: Chile and Peru. Brazil should be able to beat them, but Brazil should've been able to beat Paraguay and Venezuela, too, and it didn't manage to get the job done against either of them. If Brazil doesn't pull at least four points from its clashes this week, it will enter into crisis mode...and may be in danger of missing out on the 2026 World Cup altogether.

Sweden

Don't sleep on Swedish soccer. The Scandinavian nation has produced some stellar talent over the years, from Freddie Ljungberg to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and it's been ranked as high as second in the world. Sweden is on the ascent in Europe largely due to in-form striker Viktor Gyokeres. The 26-year-old is one of the most in-demand players in Europe and his goal-scoring record rivals Erling Haaland's.

Sweden is in first place in its UEFA Nations League group. It's tied on points with Slovakia, but ahead on goal difference thanks to Gyokeres. But it can break away by beating Slovakia in a head-to-head match on Friday. Slovakia is no slouch — it made the last 16 of last summer's European finals and very nearly eliminated England — so Sweden could cap off its international comeback with a statement win in Bratislava.

Indonesia

Indonesia has technically qualified for one World Cup; it played one game in the 1938 edition while under the Dutch East Indies banner, losing 6-0 to Hungary. It achieved independence in 1945 and hasn't qualified for a single World Cup since. That's not to say Indonesia isn't a soccer country — over 70,000 people watched it face Australia in a World Cup qualifier in Jakarta last month. Their lack of moments on the world stage is just a testament to how competitive the Asian soccer landscape has become.

Indonesia is in the middle of an epic run, though, and looks like it might finally break its World Cup curse. It made it into the third round of Asia's World Cup qualifying process and delivered three massive results while there: consecutive draws with Saudi Arabia, Australia and Bahrain. 

Asia's World Cup qualifying path is mazy and confusing, but if Indonesia can get a win against China on Tuesday, it'll be in prime position to advance further than it has since the 1930s. That's big news for one of the world's biggest and most populous soccer countries.

Alyssa Clang

Alyssa is a Boston-born Californian with a passion for global sport. She can yell about misplaced soccer passes in five languages and rattle off the turns of Silverstone in her sleep. You can find her dormant Twitter account at @alyssaclang, but honestly, you’re probably better off finding her here

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