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United States Men's National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Winners and losers from soccer's international break

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Mar 26, 2025 3:37 PM ET

The world of club soccer paused this week for the first international break of 2025. Players from all over the world joined up with their national teams to play crucial matches for a variety of competitions, from World Cup qualifiers to Nations League finals and beyond.

With hundreds of matches taking place across each of FIFA's six federations, there were plenty of highs and lows to cover. Here are the biggest winners and losers from across the globe as the international window draws to a close.

Winner: Argentina

The albiceleste entered this international window with bad news: team talisman Lionel Messi wouldn't be available for selection thanks to a mild adductor injury. The team bounced back in spectacular style. It beat its two biggest rivals, Uruguay and Brazil, by a combined score of 5-1, and proved it's still the best soccer team in the world by some distance. How authoritative was Argentina? In the second half of its game against Brazil, goalkeeper Emi Martinez started doing keepie-uppies in his penalty box to amuse himself. That, right there, is what dominance looks like on a soccer field.

What Emi Martinez was doing when Argentina went 4-1 up against Brazil

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— ESPN FC (@espnfc-m.bsky.social) March 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM

Loser: Brazil

On the flip side, Brazil's 4-1 loss to Argentina was utterly humiliating for the seleçao. "“What we did here today can’t happen again,” coach Dorival Junior said after the drubbing, via The Guardian. "I'm sorry for our fans."

Brazil now finds itself fourth of 10 in South America's World Cup qualifying table, behind Argentina, Ecuador and Uruguay. It's just one bad result away from being outside the World Cup qualification slots altogether.

Winner: Turkey

Long considered the "dark horse" of European soccer, Turkey is emerging as a genuine threat for 2026. Its comprehensive two-legged drubbing of Hungary this week raised eyebrows across the globe. It's yet another step forward for the team after its quarterfinal finish at last summer's European Championships.

Loser: United States

Which team will on-fire Turkey face next, you ask? Why, the United States Men's National Team, of course, which exited this international window with its tail firmly between its legs after chastening defeats to Panama and Canada. The USMNT and Turkey are set to face off in an international friendly in June. If current results are to be trusted, the USMNT is going to get played off the park.

Winner: England

Coach Thomas Tuchel's first games in charge went swimmingly: the German led his side to routine victories over Latvia and Albania. The ever-critical English press still has concerns, citing the team's conservative tactics and lack of pace as potential red flags, but really, they're all just luxury problems at this point. The Three Lions look more assured than they have in years.

Loser: China

The Asian federation will send more teams to the World Cup in 2026 than it ever has...but China, targeting its first appearance since 2002, may still miss out. The team fell to Australia and Saudi Arabia this week and dropped to the bottom of of its qualification group. With just two games left in this phase of play, China must win everything—and hope the likes of Indonesia, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia lose—in order to advance.

Players will return for international team action in early June. Until then, they'll return to their club teams and close out their 2024-25 league seasons.

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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