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GENEVA — In a congested soccer season where elite players have aired the idea of going on strike, the Nations League returns this week looking less than a top priority. France captain Kylian Mbappé opted to stay away. His probable deputy Antoine Griezmann retired from the national team. Romelu Lukaku asked to stay at Napoli rather than join the Belgium camp. European teams already seem to be focusing on 2026 World Cup qualifying games next year. Still, results in the third-tier Nations League do feed into the World Cup qualifying groups draw in December.
