In the current scenario of dispersed knowledge authorities and uncertainty brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, a critical reflection on the nationalist and anti-global climate is necessary to support the promotion of alternative ways of Global Citizenship Education (GCE). This paper addresses some of the criticism raised at the concept of GCE to discuss Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) as an alternative Thirdspace for promoting intercultural encounters in the internationalisation of higher education, in order to cope with local, national and global tensions in this process, with a 'glonacal' view that accounts for the role of individuals, local/national governments and higher education in it.