What’s Ahead for Ligue 1 Internationals During the FIFA Break?

The FIFA international break has arrived, and many Ligue 1 stars are off representing their national teams. Here are a few players from each federation you should keep an eye on:

UEFA: Ousmane Dembélé (France)

Dembélé will be one of the veterans on this France team without Kylian Mbappé (due to injury) and Antoine Griezmann (due to international retirement). The Paris Saint-Germain standout will also be Les Bleus' new No. 7, taking over the number from Griezmann.

The 27-year-old has four goals and five assists in eight total appearances for the capital club. France will play Israel on Thursday and Belgium on Monday as part of the UEFA Nations League group stage.

AFC: Keito Nakamura (Japan)

Nakamura, along with his Stade de Reims teammate Junya Ito, will be suiting up for Japan this international window. The Samurai Blue has two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Saudi Arabia on Thursday and Australia next Tuesday. Nakamura is off to a fantastic start so far this season, recording four goals and one assist in seven Ligue 1 matches.

The 24-year-old has made 11 appearances for Japan's national team and scored eight goals. Nakamura aims to continue this impressive scoring form as his country looks to inch closer to a World Cup berth.

CAF: Moses Simon (Nigeria)

The 29-year-old is one of the standouts for FC Nantes so far this season with Les Canaris challenging for a European spot for next season. Simon is a key part of their squad, with four goal contributions in seven Ligue 1 matches.

Nigeria will need the veteran's offensive production as they'll face Libya twice on Friday and next Tuesday as part of the qualification process for the Africa Cup of Nations. Simon has made 72 total appearances for Nigeria, scoring nine goals.

CONCACAF: Jonathan David (Canada)

David is off to a tremendous start for Les Dogues, scoring eight goals and recording two assists in 13 appearances across all competitions. The LOSC Lille striker will be part of a friendly match against Panama next Tuesday and David looks to continue his impressive form as the 24-year-old has made 56 total appearances for Canada while scoring 29 goals.

CONMEBOL: Gerónimo Rulli (Argentina)

The Olympique de Marseille goalkeeper has a chance to start this FIFA window with Emiliano Martínez, Argentina's regular starter, suspended for the two World Cup qualifying matches. Rulli has made eight appearances this early season for Marseille, who are in third place in Ligue 1, and has recorded one clean sheet. The reigning World Cup champions will face Venezuela on Thursday and Bolivia next Tuesday.

OFC: Ben Old (New Zealand)

The 22-year-old has made six appearances for Saint-Étienne, but he's yet to record a goal or an assist for Les Verts. Old will be a crucial figure for New Zealand, who have a World Cup qualifying match on Thursday against Tahiti and a friendly game next Tuesday against Malaysia. 

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