International breaks 2021-22: When are they and what competitions are there?

The international football calendar does not have a major end-of-season tournament to build up to for summer 2022, but there are plenty of fixtures arranged between the top national sides across the globe.

Qualifying for the World Cup, which will take place in November/December 2022, is approaching a conclusion, with the UEFA play-offs set for March 2022.

The Africa Cup of Nations will then take centre stage at the start of 2022, with some World Cup qualifiers scheduled to take place when that competition's knockout matches begin.

The build-up to Qatar 2022 will reach its final stages in March, one month before the draw for the World Cup group stage.

When are the 2021-22 season international breaks?

There are five international breaks planned for the 2021-22 season.

This season's first set of international fixtures took place between August 30 and September 8, and were followed by the next break in club football that ran from October 4 to October 13.

There is a set of national team games running from November 8 to November 16, with a two-month break then due to come into effect that will allow players to focus on their club duties over the Christmas period.

International football will be back on the cards between January 24 and February 2 and the final break of the 2021-22 campaign is set to run from March 21 to March 29.

Which international tournaments are being played in 2021-22?

World Cup 2022 qualifying is the main focus of the 2021-22 season's international calendar.

The Africa Cup of Nations is the main international tournament scheduled to take place this season, starting on January 9, 2022.

Cameroon will host a tournament that will once again see a number of top European clubs lose key players at a crucial stage of the club season.

That tournament will end on February 2, one day after World Cup qualifiers in Asia, South America and Oceania, and the final break is at the end of March, which will see all the qualifiers confirmed before the draw for the World Cup group-stage draw in April.