Africa's national sides are in action all around the globe during the final international break of the season, with head coaches looking to assess their options before a busy second half of 2025.
After June, African sides will have only two international breaks -- dedicated for World Cup qualifiers in September and October -- before the Africa Cup of Nations begins in late December, and coaches are fast running out of time to assess players and refine their tactical approaches ahead of the continental showpiece.
Here are the big talking points and sub-plots for African national teams during the June international break.
Senegal without Mané for England, Ireland bouts
The 2021 AFCON champions face two stern tests in this international break, with a Dublin game vs. Republic of Ireland on Friday before a showdown with England at the City Ground in Nottingham the following Tuesday.
The latter fixture represents a rematch of the 2022 FIFA World Cup round-of-16 tie in Qatar, which England won 3-0 to provide a stark reality check for the then-African champions.
Aliou Cissé's era was ultimately brought to an end last year, and his replacement -- former international Pape Thiaw -- remains undefeated since taking over.
He'll do well to preserve that record beyond this international break given the quality of his opponents, while the rookie manager will also need to find a replacement for talisman Sadio Mané, who requested to be excused from the squad.
Thiaw insisted that he respects the former African Footballer of the Year's decision to sit out the international break, and may be quietly glad to have the opportunity to test alternative attacking options for a not-too-distant post-Mané future.
Premier League duo Nicolas Jackson and Iliman Ndiaye will be desperate to impress against clubmates in the England match, while diverse offensive talents such as Ismaïla Sarr of Crystal Palace, Brest's Abdallah Sima and Red Star Belgrade striker Cherif Ndiaye give Thiaw plenty of options as he looks to sharpen up after the previous international break, in which Senegal were held 0-0 by modest Sudan.
Amad escapes toxic Manchester United as Elephants eye Canadian Shield
Few players must be as relieved to be joining their national team during this international break as Ivory Coast winger Amad Diallo, whose magnificent performances with Manchester United earlier in the campaign gave way to injury, disappointment and controversy as the club's season wound down.
The 22-year-old returned from a 15-game layoff due to an ankle problem in early May, and he was -- briefly at least -- a ray of hope in the UEFA Europa League final before the Red Devils were defeated by Tottenham Hotspur.
He was part of a Red Devils squad that finished the season in an embarrassing 16th position in the Premier League, and was then one of several players to generate negative headlines during the post-season tour of Malaysia -- after being photographed making an obscene gesture to the club's supporters. The youngster later claimed that his behaviour had been in response to "insulting words directed at [his] mother."
A return to the Elephants squad should provide a much-needed change of scene, and Diallo should have a key role to play as Emerse Fae's side head to Toronto to compete for the inaugural Canadian Shield Tournament.
The reigning African champions will face New Zealand and Canada as they look to win more silverware, and, with the likes of Sébastien Haller, Nicolas Pépé, Ibrahim Sangaré and Franck Kessié all present, Amad will fancy his chances of ending the season with at least some gold!
Broos hits back after Kaizer Chiefs criticism
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos has gone on the offensive after receiving criticism for overlooking players from the country's biggest footballing institution -- Kaizer Chiefs -- for Bafana Bafana's friendlies against Tanzania and Mozambique.
Chiefs finally ended their decade-long trophy drought last month, by defeating bitter Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final in Durban, but no one in Nasreddine Nabi's squad was invited to represent the nation's finest for this international break.
"It's a question of choice from my side," Broos said. "Sometimes it's tactics, and sometimes it's because the player is No. 2 or No. 3 in terms of rankings in that position. When I don't take players from Chiefs, it's like I've killed someone. It has nothing to do with clubs when I make choices. I don't make choices because they are from Pirates or Chiefs."
In Broos' defence, it's hard to make a strong case for many of the Amakhosi players genuinely deserving their place in his plans, with Nedbank glory firmly offset by yet another inconsistent Premier Soccer League campaign.
Perhaps, however, it's not completely too late for someone such as Thabo Cele or even Yusuf Maart to squeeze into Broos's plans in time for the AFCON.
Nothing friendly about Morocco-Tunisia
Morocco will be among the favourites to win the Nations Cup on home soil later this year, and, with a star-studded squad containing UEFA Champions League winner Achraf Hakimi among others, there will be immense domestic pressure on them to end the country's 50-year wait to conquer the continent in January.
They're certainly testing themselves in the run-up to the tournament, with friendlies against Benin and, particularly, North African rivals Tunisia likely to be played in particularly competitive conditions.
The fixture against Tunisia will be the first Maghreb Derby since 2018 -- when Morocco won 1-0 in Tunis -- and the Atlas Lions will be comfortable favourites at home in Fez; but how the Carthage Eagles, hoping to bounce back from some tough years under new coach Sami Trabelsi, would love to give their near neighbours a bloody nose.
Tunisia's 2-0 victory over Burkina Faso on Monday was a sign that the former African champions are rediscovering themselves after a miserable 2024, in which they were defeated at home by Namibia, Comoros and Gambia.
Club-less Aboubakar set to lead Cameroon
Cameroon also have tasty matches against African opponents lined up for the international break, as they're set to face Uganda and Equatorial Guinea, both at the Stade de Marrakech in Morocco.
UEFA Europa League finalist André Onana, Manchester United transfer target Bryan Mbeumo and Serie A-winning midfielder Frank Anguissa are among the players excused from duty, although there has been a call-up for influential frontman Vincent Aboubakar following his release by Turkish side Hatayspor.
Due to turn 34 four days after the AFCON final, Aboubakar is surely closing on the end of a storied international career that includes more than 110 caps and a Nations Cup final winner against Egypt in 2017, but his big-game mentality and poaching instincts should ensure he remains one of the figureheads of Marc Brys's selection through 2026.
Never too far away from crisis, Cameroon will be counting on Aboubakar's leadership and experience to see them through international fixtures -- albeit friendlies -- that could provide be a banana skin for this makeshift squad.
DC United striker Boris Enow, Lorient youngster Arthur Avon, and Stade Rennais youngster Mahamadou Nagida are among the players looking to stake their claim for a spot in Brys's AFCON squad later this year.
Where will Nigeria find their goals vs. Russia await?
Éric Chelle's Super Eagles caught the eye with victory in the Unity Cup in London last weekend, seeing off Ghana and Jamaica to win the mini exhibition tournament, and the head coach will be keen to build on that success during the rest of the international break.
The West African giants now face Russia in Moscow on Friday, when they will be without some key names such as Ola Aina, Stanley Nwabali and Wilfred Ndidi.
It's in attack, however, where Nigeria are hardest hit.
Typically boasting the most stacked offensive roster in African football, Nigeria will be leaving goals aplenty at home with hotshots such as Samuel Chukwueze, Kelechi Iheanacho, Umar Sadiq, Nathan Tella and Victor Osimhen, destined for a major move during the transfer window, all absent.
This swathe of absentees provides opportunities for others, but will Victor Boniface or Tolu Arokodare capitalise to stake their case for a prominent starting role at the Nations Cup?
Another option is Olakunle Olusegun, featuring in Russian football with Krasnodar FC, and a late arrival in the camp to compensate for the absent firepower.
Also keep an eye out for 20-year-old Brentford centre back Benjamin Fredrick, a former under-20 international who was signed directly for the Premier League side from Nigeria Premier Football League outfit Nasarawa United last year, and made his senior international bow in the Unity Cup.