Brazil
Argentina
France
Spain
Germany
England
Portugal
Netherlands
Belgium
Croatia
Switzerland
USA
Mexico
Morocco
Colombia
Uruguay
Ecuador
Peru
Japan
South Korea
Senegal
Tunisia
Algeria
Egypt
Ghana
Ivory Coast
Cape Verde
South Africa
Congo DR
Iran
Australia
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Iraq
Uzbekistan
Jordan
Panama
Canada
Paraguay
Haiti
Curacao
New Zealand
Turkey
Austria
Czech Republic
Sweden
Norway
Scotland
Bosnia
Kylian Mbappe
Erling Haaland
Neymar
Lionel Messi
Kevin De Bruyne
Harry Kane
Mohamed Salah
Virgil van Dijk
Cristiano Ronaldo
Son Heung-min
Robert Lewandowski
Toni Kroos
Gareth Bale
Xabi Alonso
Luka Modric
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Andrea Pirlo
Andriy Shevchenko
Xherdan Shaqiri
Luis Suarez
Man City Soccer Jerseys
Liverpool
Arsenal
Chelsea
Man Utd
Tottenham
Aston Villa
Newcastle
Brighton & Hove Albion
West Ham
Crystal Palace
Brentford
Fulham
Everton
Nottingham Forest
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Bournemouth
Burnley
Leeds United
Sunderland
Real Madrid
Barcelona
Atletico Madrid
Real Sociedad
Valencia
Seville
Real Betis
Villarreal
Girona
Osasuna
Athletic Bilbao
Getafe
Espanyol
Rayo Vallecano
Mallorca
Celta
Alaves
Levante
Elche
Real Oviedo
Inter Milan
AC Milan
Juventus
Napoli
Atalanta
Lazio
As Roma
Fiorentina
Sassuolo
Bologna
Udinese
Genoa
Hellas Verona
Lecce
Parma
Como
Cremonese
Pisa
Cagliari
Torino
Bayern Munich
Red Bull Leipzig
Borussia Dortmund
Bayer Leverkusen
Eintracht Frankfurt
VFB Stuttgart
SC Freiburg
Werder Bremen
Wolfsburg
Mainz 05
FC Augsburg
FC Heidenheim
Union Berlin
FC Hoffenheim
Cologne
Borussia M'gladbach
Hamburger
St Pauli
PSG
Marseille
Olympique Lyon
Lille
Monaco
Rennes
Nice
Lens
Toulouse
Strasbourg
Nantes
Reims
Metz
Brest
Lorient
Angers
Auxerre
Paris FC
Home
Plymouth Argyle
Lincoln City
Walsall
Swindon Town
Rochdale
Tranmere Rovers
Exeter City
Fleetwood Town
Cheltenham Town
Crawley Town
Accrington Stanley
AFC Wimbledon
Hartlepool United
Newport County
Inter Miami
LA Galaxy
Los Angeles FC
Atlanta United
Austin FC
Columbus Crew
FC Cincinnati
FC Dallas
Houston Dynamo
Chicago Fire
DC United
Minnesota United
Nashville SC
Montreal Impact
Miami FC
Las Vegas Lights
Forward Madison
Fort Lauderdale StrikersNations League Games to Watch: Five Fixtures That Set the Tone for 2026/27
The fifth edition of the UEFA Nations League opens with four matchdays crammed into thirteen days. Spain arrive as world champions, Portugal begin their title defence, and England get their first competitive look at the side that beat them in the Euro 2024 final.
The UEFA Nations League returns this week, and the fifth edition does something none of its predecessors attempted: it compresses four rounds of competitive fixtures into a single international block. Between 24 September and 6 October, Europe's 54 member associations will each play four league-phase matches in thirteen days. There is no room for a slow start, and very little room for experimentation.
The stakes are not decorative. Results here decide promotion and relegation between the four leagues, and for the sides at the top they shape the play-off route into UEFA EURO 2028. This is also the first competitive window since the 2026 World Cup, which Spain won by beating Argentina 1–0 after extra time in New Jersey. England finished third — their best return since 1966. Portugal, meanwhile, arrive as Nations League holders.
Why these five stand out
The opening matchday is unusually top-heavy. Every one of the four League A groups puts a heavyweight into action before the weekend is out, and two of them pair teams who have met in a final within the last two years. What follows is not a fixture list — it is the context that makes these particular matches worth blocking out time for.
Netherlands vs Germany — a rivalry that has decided things before
Germany and the Netherlands have been settling arguments against each other for half a century. West Germany won the 1974 World Cup final 2–1 in Munich; the Netherlands won the European Championship semi-final 2–1 in Hamburg fourteen years later. Almost nothing in the Nations League carries that kind of historical weight — but the group context does. Group A2 also contains Serbia and Greece, and only the top two places lead anywhere in March. Neither of these two can treat the opener as a warm-up.
There is recent history as well. The Netherlands were eliminated from the 2025 edition in the quarter-finals by Spain, on penalties, after a tie that finished 5–5 on aggregate. Germany hosted those finals and lost both matches: 2–1 to Portugal in the semi-final, then 0–2 to France in the third-place play-off. Both arrive with something to correct.
Portugal vs Wales — the holders open at home
Portugal have won this competition twice, in 2019 and again in 2025, and remain the only nation to have lifted the trophy more than once. Their title defence begins against Wales — opponents they beat 2–0 in the Euro 2016 semi-final in Lyon, the match that carried them to their first major international title. That result still sits at the centre of how both countries remember that summer.
The 2025 final is the more recent marker. Spain led twice in Munich through Martín Zubimendi and Mikel Oyarzabal; Nuno Mendes and Cristiano Ronaldo levelled, and the match went to penalties. Diogo Costa saved Álvaro Morata's effort, Rúben Neves converted the decisive kick, and Portugal won 5–3. Nuno Mendes was named Player of the Finals. Wales, back among the top 16 after their relegation from League A in 2022/23, are the first test of whether any of that has changed.
Italy vs Belgium — two nations measuring where they stand
Italy's Nations League record is oddly unresolved. They reached the finals in 2021 and again in 2023 and finished third both times — beaten in the semi-finals by Spain on each occasion, then winning the third-place match. In 2025 they were not there at all. Belgium's best return was fourth place in 2021, and their current group, with France and Türkiye alongside them and only two quarter-final places available, makes a fast start close to essential.
That is what gives this fixture its value. Group A1 gathers four teams who all expect to be in the top two by November, with only two quarter-final places between them. Neither side can afford to treat the other as the match to be managed rather than won.
Türkiye vs France — and then Italy four days later
France arrive in this window with an unusual complaint: their last two tournament exits came against the same opponent. Spain knocked them out of the 2025 Nations League semi-final, winning 5–4 in Stuttgart, and did it again in the 2026 World Cup semi-final. Their tournament then ended with a 6–4 defeat to England in the third-place match in Miami. France won this competition in 2021 and were world champions in 2018. The gap between that record and their last two summers is the story of Group A1.
Türkiye have the most interesting opening of any side in League A: they are at home for both of their first two matches, against France on 25 September and Italy on 28 September. Six points from that pair would put them in control of a group containing three far more decorated nations.
England vs Spain — the world champions, four months on
This is the fixture of the window. Spain travel to England as world champions for the second time in their history, having beaten Argentina 1–0 after extra time in New Jersey on 19 July, Ferran Torres scoring in the 106th minute. The numbers behind that run were extraordinary: one goal conceded across eight matches, the fewest ever by a World Cup-winning side, and seven clean sheets for Unai Simón. Rodri took the Golden Ball, Pau Cubarsí the young player award, and Luis de la Fuente became the oldest coach ever to win the tournament.
England's own summer was their best since 1966. Thomas Tuchel's side lost a semi-final to Argentina in Atlanta, then produced a 6–4 win over France in Miami — Bukayo Saka scoring a hat-trick — to take third place. That is the backdrop to the first competitive meeting between these two since the Euro 2024 final in Berlin, when Spain won 2–1 and England lost a second consecutive European Championship final.
Group A3 also contains Croatia and Czechia, so neither of these sides can treat the evening as a standalone occasion. Two of the four teams in this group have contested a Nations League final within the last three editions.
Also worth your time
Three more fixtures from the opening round that are easy to miss in a crowded week.
- Norway vs Denmark — Thu 24 Sep, 20:45, League A Group A4. The Nordic fixture of the round, and the one most likely to be overlooked on an evening that also delivers Netherlands–Germany and Portugal–Wales.
- Czechia vs Croatia — Sat 26 Sep, 20:45, League A Group A3. Croatia were runners-up in 2023 and third at the 2022 World Cup. Czechia are the group's least discussed side, which is not the same thing as its weakest. The two group matches on 26 September may decide more than the marquee fixture does.
- Scotland vs Switzerland — Tue 29 Sep, 15:00, League B Group B1. Both open with a match against Slovenia or North Macedonia before meeting on Matchday 2; the winner of this one takes control of the promotion race.
What supporters may want to watch for
- Depth, not starting elevens. Four competitive matches in thirteen days is a workload no previous edition asked for. Squads will be rotated more aggressively than usual, and the teams that manage minutes best will be the ones still in contention in November.
- Spain's first competitive outing since New Jersey. De la Fuente's side have now won a European Championship and a World Cup. The question in this window is not whether they can get out of the group, but how they handle a squad coming straight off a tournament that ran into late July.
- The relegation trap. A fourth-place finish in League A or League B means automatic relegation, and the compressed calendar makes a four-match losing start far more likely than it would be across a normal season.
- The route to EURO 2028. Nations League performance feeds the play-off places for the 2028 finals in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. That is the quiet prize attached to results that otherwise look like friendlies with consequences.
- Wales and Türkiye in League A. Wales are back in the top flight for the first time since their relegation in 2022/23, and Türkiye open with two home fixtures in four days. Neither group offers much room for a learning curve: the fourth-placed team in every League A group is relegated automatically.
Key dates and kick-off times
| Stage | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Matchday 1 | 24–26 Sep 2026 | Eight League A fixtures across three days |
| Matchday 2 | 27–29 Sep 2026 | England travel to Czechia; Spain host Croatia |
| Matchday 3 | 1–3 Oct 2026 | Croatia vs England (early kick-off) |
| Matchday 4 | 4–6 Oct 2026 | England vs Czechia; Croatia vs Spain |
| Matchday 5 | 12–14 Nov 2026 | Second international block opens |
| Matchday 6 | 15–17 Nov 2026 | Spain vs England; Germany vs Netherlands |
| Quarter-finals | 25–30 Mar 2027 | League A group winners and runners-up, home and away |
| Finals | 9–13 Jun 2027 | Four teams, host to be confirmed |
| League C/D play-offs | 23–28 Mar 2028 | Separate window from the League A/B/C play-offs |
Kick-off times are as published by UEFA. Most League A fixtures in this window are listed at 20:45, with some afternoon kick-offs in the lower leagues.
Shop the 2026/27 national team kits
Every nation covered above is part of the store's current international range, available in men's, women's and youth fits. Each shirt shown in this article links straight to its product page.
Related reading
More from this season:
Browse the teams featured in this article:
Looking further ahead, the domestic season continues alongside the international calendar:
FAQ
- When does the 2026/27 Nations League start?
- The league phase opens on 24 September 2026 with Netherlands vs Germany, Serbia vs Greece, Norway vs Denmark and Portugal vs Wales among the first-night fixtures. The opening block runs to 6 October, covering four matchdays.
- Who are the reigning Nations League champions?
- Portugal, who beat Spain on penalties in Munich in June 2025 after the final finished 2–2 following extra time. It was Portugal's second title, following their win in 2019.
- How many teams are in the competition?
- 54 UEFA member associations, divided into Leagues A, B, C and D. Leagues A, B and C each contain four groups of four; League D has two groups of three.
- Do Nations League results affect EURO 2028 qualification?
- Yes. The 2026/27 edition is expected to be linked to the play-off route for UEFA EURO 2028 in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, giving teams a second chance to reach the finals based on their Nations League performance.
- Which Nations League matches are the biggest this week?
- On paper, England vs Spain on 26 September. It is the first competitive meeting between the sides since the Euro 2024 final, and it comes four months after Spain won the 2026 World Cup.
Every shirt shown in this article is part of the store's 2026/27 national team range, available in men's, women's and youth fits. Prices shown were correct at the time of publication.