Today, we round up all the most interesting developments from the new, extended international break.

We've had a long three weeks without domestic football, but many interesting things are afoot on the national-team scale.

We begin in Europe, where many new coaches have taken over post-World Cup. We do quick hits on Klopp's Germany, Xavi's Netherlands, Zidane's France, as well as Italy, Croatia, Belgium, and Scotland. And yes, we talk about the very silly Ronaldo situaiton...

Then we discuss goings-on in other other continents, including Messi's farewell to Argentina, the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinals, and Africa's usual chaos.

Finally, we close on a sort-of-serious segment on what's happening down in Oceania. Hail Fiji!

Cheers to Stéphane Auvray!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

03:06 – UEFA | Germany

05:32 – The Netherlands

10:01 – France

14:01 – Croatia

17:42 – Portugal & Ronaldo

25:09 – Italy

30:04 – Belgium & Scotland

33:53 – South America & CONCACAF

38:53 – Africa & Asia

42:34 – Oceania

It's our very first edition of ACROSS THE CONTINENT's intended format!

Every Monday, we will discuss a shared topic demanding our attention across the footballing word. Then, each of us will bring a surprise subject to present to the other.

This week, we have no choice but to tackle Manchester City as the main story, after it was announced they've been found guilty of nearly all 115 charges leveled against them.

David the lawyer breaks down exactly what those charges stipulate, then we debate the merits of potential punishments, as well as the affect this will have on the legacy of Pep Guardiola and his players.

We then turn our attention to the current international break. First, David updates us on the 12 new coaches hired by UEFA nations since the World Cup. Then Maxwell points to the shifting balance of power in the 2nd tier of CONCACAF, from Central American to Caribbean teams.

Cheers to Dick Advocaat!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

02:16 – overview of charges against Man City

09:25 – potential punishments

17:42 – how will this affect legacies?

20:50 – David's topic | 12 new coaches in UEFA

28:19 – Maxwell's topic | balance of power shifting in CONCACAF?

We're back to cover the Greek National Team in our latest Club Spotlight!

This one is long awaited by us, as we've been talking about the influx of young Greek talent across Europe for awhile now – but how did they get here?

We begin by giving a brief history of the national team in the 20th century, which was mainly a struggle, qualifying for only a couple major tournaments.

Of course, everything changed at Euro 2004, when Otto Rehhagel led Greece to a shock title, defeating the Portuguese hosts in both the group stage and the final.

But after the 2014 World Cup, the talent dried up and the nation went through a decade of international strike. Desperate to change their fortunes, the FA put together a project to revitalize Greek football and bring through a new generation of technical players.

We discuss how they did this, what their long-term vision is, and how the current side shapes up, highlighting many of the talented youngsters that have been tearing up Europe – Konstantelias, Karetsas, Tzolis, Tzolakis, Kostoulas, and more.

Cheers to Ivan Jovanović!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

03:03 – 20th Century history

08:13 – Euro 2004

19:47 – dark ages

21:17 – the revitalization project

29:17 – the current team

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6896033/2025/12/24/inside-greek-footballs-rebirth-from-euro-2004-to-the-battle-of-thermopylae/

https://blog.transferroom.com/how-greek-and-cypriot-football-has-become-a-new-hotbed-for-top-talent

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/greek-football-primed-renaissance-055000125.html

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5339532/2024/03/31/greece-euro-2004-history/

Fotmob

It's our final league preview episode on ACROSS THE CONTINENT, and to wrap up our journey through Europe's top 9 divisions, we're bringing you our takes on THE NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM, and TURKEY's top flights.

Beginning in The Netherlands' Eredivisie, we debate the order of the big 5, speculate if anyone can keep pace with PSV, explain why Ajax still has a ways to go in their restructuring, and highlight AZ Alkmaar's exciting roster.

Over in Belgium's Pro League, we compare four sides off to flying starts – Union St Gilloise, Club Brugge, Gent, and Sporting Charleroi. Are these the clubs that will be battling for the title? And could Genk, Sint Truiden, or Royal Antwerp join them?

Finally, in Turkey's Süper Lig, everyone is once again chasing Galatasaray. Will this be the year Fenerbahce finally catches them? And what about Mo Salah's Trabzonspor, who have already had a chaotic start to the season? We also explain why we're so high on Besiktas and why we think Vincenzo Italiano is one of Europe's most underrated managers.

Plus, we discuss the strengths and weakness of each league as a whole. Who has the most depth in the midtable? And how would the best clubs in each other's divisions?

Cheers to Okan Buruk!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

01:53 – Netherlands

15:04 – Belgium

23:51 – Turkey

Our CLUB SPOTLIGHT series returns, and our first club of the 2026-27 season is Portugal's S.C.U. TORREENSE.

2nd-tier Torreense shocked the footballing world by winning the Taça de Portugal, defeating the mighty Sporting in extra time. As a result, the small-town club earned Europa League football, despite not competing in the top flight since 1992.

David breaks down the club's history and circumstances, its incredible cup run, and its outlook for the Europa League league phase.

Cheers to Luís Tralhão!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

02:28 – club intro

06:59 – the cup run

18:25 – current team, Europa League outlook, & historical precedents

For the fifth of six league previews to kick of ACROSS THE CONTINENT, we're taking on France's LIGUE 1 and Portugal's LIGA PORTUGAL.

Over in France, we begin with the relegation battle and debate which of the recently promoted teams we like best, as well as why we think OG Nice could be in serious trouble.

Next, we tackle mid-table and European outsiders, including some clubs with unusual financial stability and upside for a league often strapped for cash.

Then, we hit on the usual suspects in the European races, including Lille, Lyon, Rennes, and Lens, sharing concerns for Marseille and excitement for new-challengers Paris FC. Can Liam Rosenior man-age his new side to glory? And finally, just how good do we think Monaco is? Can they actually compete for the title?

For the latter portion of the episode, we head to Portugal, where we're set for yet another photo-finish of a title race between Porto, Sporting, and Benfica. Porto has embraced continuity, Sporting has embraced change, and Benfica swapped Mourinho for Marco Silva – so who has the edge?

We then finish we a trip to the island of Madeira, where its two clubs, Marítimo and Nacional will reignite their derby this season after Marítimo's return to the top flight.

Cheers to Stéphane Dumont!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

01:24 – Ligue 1 | intro

04:05 – Ligue 1 | relegation

13:45 – Ligue 1 | mid-table

21:18 – Ligue 1 | European push

27:28 – Ligue 1 | Champions League

35:40 – Liga Portugal | title race

41:58 – Liga Portgual | Medeira derby

The Europa League league phase is back, baby!

We begin by discussing Match-Day 1's top stories, including Benfica beating Milan at the San Siro, Besiktas taking it Marseille, Bournemouth's first European win at Real Sociedad, OFI Crete's triumphant return to Europe, and Torreense's famous win in Norway.

Then we revisit our pre-league phase power rankings and refresh the top ten, with a new number one and new additions to the top ten, before moving on to our week's winners and losers, and introducing our new PANIC METER. Spoiler: Marseille and NEC's high-line get high grades.

Finally, fortify our list of teams who can actually win the competition this season – no paper tigers allowed.

Cheers Christos Kontis!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

2:16 – top stories | Benfica-Milan, Besiktas-Marseille, OFI-Hoffenheim, Bournemouth-Real Sociedad, Torreense-Lillestrom, Crystal Palace-Lech

27:50 – power rankings reflections

34:07 – winners & losers

37:06 – panic meter

45:45 – the teams that can win the Europa League

ACROSS THE CONTINENT returns with our 4th league preview – and this time we're heading over to Germany to take a look at the BUNDESLIGA.

We begin by getting the Bayern and Dortmund plaudits out of the way, including complimenting Dortmund's summer business, before delving into teams we like and dislike.

In the segment, we ask the hard questions. Can new coaches in Leipzig and Leverkusen put the pieces together in time to challenge for Champions League? Is Mainz's attack really this good? And is Gadblach destined for a relegation battle (recorded before the sacking of their coach)?

Naturally, we're aligned on two of our favorites German clubs of late, Stuttgart and Freiburg. What makes them such models of consistency?

Then we discuss the three promoted teams, including Elversberg's dream start to their first ever top flight campaign and Paderborn and Schalke's chances of survival. We also debate which established sides might find themselves in trouble come next spring.

Finally, we reveal our official table predictions for the year and wonder who the hell Vincent Kompany's stylist is.

Cheers to Vincent Kompany and Miron Muslić!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

06:16 – Bayern & Dortmund

10:41 – teams we're out on

22:40 – teams we're in on

31:57 – promoted teams & relegation candidates

43:04 – official table predictions