Overview

• UEFA’s six-game, 11-week program begins this week, with Spain opening at Bulgaria, Germany at Slovakia, and France visiting Ukraine in Wroclaw due to security restrictions at home.
• Ukraine’s neutral-venue hosting continues because of the war, and Russia remains excluded from all UEFA and FIFA competitions.
• Italy resumes in a deep hole after June’s 3-0 loss in Norway cost Luciano Spalletti his job, as Gennaro Gattuso debuts against Estonia before facing Israel in neutral Hungary.
• The rare four-team group format compresses fixtures into two matches per month across three months, magnifying absences such as Germany’s sidelined Jamal Musiala.
• CONCACAF’s third round kicks off Thursday with three groups of four for three direct berths and two playoff spots, while Asia and Oceania have already produced multiple qualifiers and Africa could see September clinchers.