Football: Key stories from men's international window, as AFCON 2025 lineup shapes up & Greece earn emotional win
Find out about the standout stories from the October international break, with important men's football action across Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Football
What happened in the men’s international football window in October?
There were memorable moments galore as players returned to represent their nations around the world, including qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
In Europe, countries reached the halfway point of the Nations League as the groups began to shape up for promotion, relegation, and the Finals next year.
There were also big shifts in the managerial world: Mauricio Pochettino made his debut in charge of the USMNT, while England appointed Thomas Tuchel, 2021 Champions League winner with Chelsea, as their new manager for 2025 and beyond.
Here are the standout stories from the October international break.
Seven nations book their berths at AFCON
The competitors for AFCON 2025 are starting to come together, with seven countries booking their berth during the October international week for next year’s African Continental championships
Burkina Faso were the first team to join hosts Morocco, for their third consecutive tournament appearance, followed by the champions from 2017 and 2019, Cameroon and Algeria respectively.
Democratic Republic of Congo have qualified alongside Senegal, who both picked up vital away wins and clean sheets to secure their spots at the Cup of Nations competition.
One of the big hitters in Egypt continued their perfect qualification record, with Ibrahim Adel’s late winner enough to confirm their status at the top of the group. Angola became the eighth team to qualify with a third of the field now decided.
South American powerhouses run riot in World Cup qualifying
There were some big statement wins for the teams at the top of the CONMBEOL World Cup qualifiers, such as Lionel Messi running riot with a hat-trick and two assists in Argentina’s 6-0 trouncing of Bolivia to keep the 2022 FIFA World Cup winners top of the group.
The Colombian national team are second in the group, and celebrated their 100th anniversary in style, decked out in a gorgeous centenary kit, with a 4-0 victory over Chile in Barranquilla.
Brazil also produced a dominant performance to get their World Cup hopes back on track, winning back-to-back qualifiers for the first time since September 2023 by defeating Chile 2-1 and smashing Peru 4-0.
With third placed Uruguay held to a draw at home to Ecuador, it leaves Brazil level on points with the Uruguayans. Each team has eight games remaining to book spots at the next World Cup.
Greece pay tribute to George Baldock
It was a sombre night at Wembley Stadium when England took on Greece, everyone in attendance coming together to mourn George Baldock.
Baldock was an English-born defender who represented Greece through his Greek heritage, earning 12 caps for the nation of his grandmother. But he tragically passed away on 9 October, the day before his two nations were due to play.
The Greek team were shaken, and although they asked for the match to be postponed, had to play on and did so in Baldock’s memory.
With black armbands on their biceps and with Baldock’s shirt with them, Vangelis Pavlidis’ 94th minute winner and second goal of the evening secured a 2-1 win for the Greeks, their first ever victory over the Euro 2024 finalists.
The Greek men's football national team paid tribute to player George Baldock, who passed away in October 2024.
Italy’s Daniel Maldini follows in family’s footsteps
If you are an avid football fan, you will have recognised the name on the back of Italy’s number 11.
Daniel Maldini made his international debut for Italy in their 4-1 home win against Israel, coming on in the 74th minute in Udine.
The 23-year-old is the son of Milan legend Paolo Maldini, who made 126 appearances for Italy, while his grandfather was another Rossoneri icon in Cesare Maldini.
Daniel is the third Maldini to play for the Italian national team thanks to an impressive debut year at Monza, making it 141 combined caps for the Maldini men.
Daniel Maldini became the third Maldini man to play for the Italian national team, after his father Paolo and grandfather Cesare.
Andres Guardado bids farewell to Mexico
Mexico bid farewell to one of their greatest players and all-time leading appearance maker, the great Andres Guardado, on Tuesday (15 October).
Guardado captained El Tri in his 182nd and final cap against the United States, and with 18 minutes on the clock (in honour of his number 18), he was substituted to a standing ovation.
The midfielder bowed out in a 2-0 win at the Estadio Akron with more appearances for Mexico than any other man.
Guardado had a distinguished international career spanning almost 20 years and five World Cups, the joint-most in history, winning three Gold Cups with Mexico.