The UEFA Nations League returns on Thursday with three days of international football, 26 fixtures across four divisions and several encounters that would not look out of place in the latter stages of a major tournament.
The Netherlands welcome Germany, Norway host Scandinavian rivals Denmark, and England face world champions Spain at Wembley in a rematch of the Euro 2024 final.
Portugal begin their title defence against Wales, while the opening round also brings a series of managerial debuts. Jürgen Klopp takes charge of Germany, Xavi Hernández begins his tenure with the Netherlands, and Zinédine Zidane and Roberto Mancini return to international football with France and Italy respectively.
For the teams in League A, the objective is to reach the knockout rounds and ultimately the finals in June 2027. Elsewhere, promotion, relegation and the opportunity to compete against stronger opposition provide plenty of motivation.
Here is our guide to every match taking place between Thursday 24 and Saturday 26 September. All kick-off times are UK time, with fixtures and groups checked against UEFA’s official schedule.
Thursday, 24 September
Thursday, 24 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Two European heavyweights begin new managerial eras in one of the opening round’s most intriguing fixtures.
Xavi Hernández takes charge of the Netherlands for the first time, while Jürgen Klopp makes his debut as Germany’s national team coach. Both inherit considerable attacking talent, but neither will have much time to implement new ideas before facing a major rival.
Germany have avoided defeat in the last four meetings between the countries, winning twice and drawing twice. With Serbia and Greece completing Group A2, this encounter could provide an early indication of how the section will develop.
Thursday, 24 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Serbia and Greece meet in Belgrade knowing that their group also contains Germany and the Netherlands.
That makes their two encounters particularly significant. Both will want to establish themselves as credible contenders for a top-two finish rather than spending the campaign looking over their shoulders.
Serbia will look to make home advantage count, while Greece begin their League A campaign with an opportunity to demonstrate how far they have progressed against established top-division opposition.
With trips to Germany and the Netherlands awaiting both teams, neither will want to begin by surrendering points to a direct group rival.
Thursday, 24 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Norway’s return to the Nations League’s highest division begins with a Scandinavian derby against Denmark.
Having earned promotion from League B in the previous edition, Norway now face a substantially different challenge. Their group includes reigning champions Portugal and Wales, leaving little room for a slow start.
Erling Haaland provides the hosts with an obvious attacking weapon. The Norwegian striker is already the Nations League’s all-time leading scorer with 19 goals, four more than any other player in the competition’s history.
Denmark, meanwhile, have an opportunity to make an immediate impression against their neighbours before hosting Wales on Sunday.
Thursday, 24 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Portugal begin the defence of their Nations League crown at home to Wales, with Norway and Denmark providing the other opposition in Group A4.
The Portuguese have already demonstrated their ability to navigate this competition successfully, but retaining the trophy will require them to negotiate another demanding league phase before the knockout rounds.
Wales face an immediate examination of their credentials against the defending champions. Their opening two fixtures are particularly challenging, with a trip to Denmark following Sunday’s encounter.
For Portugal, the match also offers an opportunity to establish an early advantage before travelling to Norway on Sunday.
Thursday, 24 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Austria begin their campaign at home to Israel in a group that also contains Kosovo and the Republic of Ireland.
The Austrians will approach the competition with promotion back to League A as their objective. Home results could be particularly important in a section where all four teams will see opportunities to collect points.
Israel face the challenge of beginning away from home before another difficult assignment against Ireland on Sunday.
Austria, meanwhile, have little recovery time before their second match, when Kosovo visit on the same day.
Thursday, 24 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
The Republic of Ireland begin their Nations League campaign with a trip to Kosovo before returning home to face Israel.
It is an important opening fixture for both countries, particularly with Austria also competing in Group B3.
Kosovo have an opportunity to establish themselves as serious promotion contenders, while Ireland will be determined to avoid another campaign in which inconsistent results leave them fighting at the wrong end of the table.
The visitors will need to manage the demands of two matches in four days, with the opening trip followed by another potentially important group encounter on Sunday.
Thursday, 24 September · 17:00 UK
Preview
The opening round gets underway with Andorra hosting Malta in League D.
With Gibraltar completing their three-team group, there are fewer matches and consequently fewer opportunities to recover from a disappointing result.
Both countries will regard promotion to League C as a realistic objective, making this opening encounter particularly important.
Malta can establish an early advantage with an away victory, while Andorra have the opportunity to collect three points before travelling to Gibraltar on Sunday.
Thursday, 24 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Liechtenstein welcome Lithuania in the opening match of a group that also contains Azerbaijan.
Lithuania will be looking to make an immediate impression following their move into League D, while Liechtenstein have an opportunity to begin their campaign with a positive result in front of their own supporters.
The visitors face Azerbaijan in their second fixture on Sunday, meaning their opening two results could go a long way towards determining their promotion prospects.
Liechtenstein, by contrast, do not play again until October.
Friday, 25 September
Friday, 25 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Roberto Mancini begins his second spell as Italy coach with an immediate test against Belgium.
The former Manchester City manager famously guided the Azzurri to the European Championship title in 2021. His return provides Italy with an opportunity to begin another chapter under a familiar figure, although Group A1 offers little opportunity to settle in gradually.
Belgium, now managed by former Netherlands midfielder Mark van Bommel, are also beginning a new era.
With France and Türkiye completing the group, both managers will want an encouraging performance as well as a positive result. Belgium host France in their next fixture, while Italy travel to Türkiye.
Friday, 25 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Zinédine Zidane’s return to management is one of the biggest stories surrounding the new Nations League campaign.
The former Real Madrid coach begins his tenure with France in Türkiye, ending a lengthy absence from the dugout and inheriting a national team accustomed to competing for major honours.
Türkiye will be determined to make home advantage count against a French side adapting to new leadership.
The schedule offers Zidane little opportunity for experimentation. France travel to Belgium on Monday before hosting Italy in their third group fixture, making this a demanding introduction to international management.
Friday, 25 September · 17:00 UK
Preview
Northern Ireland begin their campaign with a difficult trip to Georgia.
The hosts have established themselves as increasingly competitive opponents in recent years, and their attacking quality should provide a substantial examination for the visitors.
Northern Ireland will be hoping that defensive organisation and disciplined counterattacking can help them secure a positive result away from home.
With Hungary and Ukraine completing Group B2, there is considerable competition for promotion. Georgia travel to Ukraine in their next fixture, while Northern Ireland host Hungary.
Friday, 25 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Hungary and Ukraine meet in one of Friday’s most interesting League B fixtures.
Both have experience of competing against Europe’s stronger national teams and will have ambitions of returning to League A.
Hungary have home advantage in their opening match, but Ukraine possess enough technical quality to make this a demanding encounter.
The group also contains Georgia and Northern Ireland, with both teams facing further important fixtures on Monday. A positive start would provide a useful foundation for their respective promotion campaigns.
Friday, 25 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Poland begin their campaign at home to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a competitive group that also includes Sweden and Romania.
The hosts will want to establish themselves among the promotion contenders immediately, particularly with a trip to Sweden awaiting them in their next match.
Bosnia and Herzegovina face a similarly demanding opening schedule, travelling to Poland before visiting Romania.
The visitors will need to remain organised against a Polish team with the attacking quality to exploit defensive mistakes.
Friday, 25 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Sweden return to League B after winning promotion from League C in the previous Nations League campaign.
Viktor Gyökeres was the competition’s leading scorer in 2024/25 and will once again be central to Sweden’s attacking ambitions.
Romania provide the first examination of whether the Swedes can maintain their momentum against stronger opposition. With Poland and Bosnia and Herzegovina also in Group B4, Sweden face a demanding promotion race.
The hosts will be particularly keen to collect three points before welcoming Poland on Monday.
Friday, 25 September · 17:00 UK
Preview
Armenia and Latvia begin their League C campaigns knowing that Montenegro and Cyprus complete a group in which every point could prove valuable.
Armenia have home advantage in their opening two matches, with Montenegro visiting on Monday.
That schedule presents an opportunity to establish an early lead in the group, although Latvia will have their own ambitions of making a positive start.
The visitors host Cyprus in their next fixture, meaning both teams face two important matches in quick succession.
Friday, 25 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Montenegro welcome Cyprus in a fixture that could have considerable significance in the race for promotion from Group C2.
The hosts will be looking to make their home advantage count before travelling to Armenia on Monday.
Cyprus, meanwhile, face an opening away double-header, with a trip to Latvia following this encounter.
A disciplined defensive performance could be particularly important for the visitors, while Montenegro will hope to make their attacking quality count against opponents who may approach the match cautiously.
Saturday, 26 September
Saturday, 26 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
The opening round concludes with a meeting between England and Spain at Wembley, renewing the rivalry that produced the Euro 2024 final.
Spain won that encounter 2-1 in Berlin and have since added the 2026 World Cup to their collection. Luis de la Fuente’s side now begin another Nations League campaign after finishing as runners-up in the previous edition.
England return to League A following promotion in 2024/25. Thomas Tuchel has welcomed the opportunity to test his side against elite opposition, although preparations have been disrupted by several injuries.
Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento have all withdrawn from the squad, with James Garner and Morgan Gibbs-White among those called upon.
The fixture offers England an immediate measure of their progress against the reigning world champions. With Croatia and Czechia also in Group A3, neither country can afford to take qualification for the knockout rounds for granted.
Saturday, 26 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Czechia and Croatia meet in the other Group A3 fixture, with England and Spain providing the remaining opposition.
Both teams will recognise the importance of collecting points against each other in such a demanding section.
Croatia’s experience at major tournaments could prove valuable, but Czechia have the opportunity to begin their campaign with a positive result in front of their own supporters.
The schedule becomes even more challenging for both countries immediately afterwards. Croatia travel to Spain on Tuesday, while Czechia welcome England.
Saturday, 26 September · 14:00 UK
Preview
Scotland begin their League B campaign with an away fixture against Slovenia.
Having dropped out of League A, the Scots will be determined to return to the top division at the earliest opportunity. However, their group also contains Switzerland and North Macedonia, making promotion anything but straightforward.
Slovenia provide a difficult opening examination, particularly on home soil.
Scotland follow this fixture with a home match against Switzerland on Tuesday, so an encouraging result in Slovenia would provide a welcome boost ahead of another important encounter.
Saturday, 26 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Switzerland begin their campaign away to North Macedonia in a group that also contains Scotland and Slovenia.
The Swiss will be looking to secure promotion back to League A, but North Macedonia have demonstrated their ability to trouble more established European nations.
Home advantage could be particularly important for the hosts, who will want to establish themselves as contenders rather than allowing Switzerland and Scotland to dominate the promotion race.
Both teams face another demanding fixture on Tuesday, when Switzerland visit Scotland and North Macedonia travel to Slovenia.
Saturday, 26 September · 19:45 UK
Preview
Albania begin their Nations League campaign at home to Belarus, with Finland and San Marino completing Group C1.
The hosts will be hoping to use their opening two fixtures to establish an advantage, particularly as San Marino visit in their next match.
Belarus face a challenging opening schedule, travelling to Albania before visiting Finland on Tuesday.
Albania’s home advantage and experience of competing against stronger European opposition could prove significant, although Belarus will be looking to frustrate the hosts and make their opportunities count.
Saturday, 26 September · 17:00 UK
Preview
San Marino’s return to League C begins with a home match against Finland.
Having achieved promotion from League D in the previous Nations League campaign, San Marino now face the challenge of competing against stronger opposition.
Finland will be determined to make an immediate impression as they look to secure promotion from Group C1.
The visitors will expect to dominate possession, but San Marino’s recent Nations League progress gives the hosts reason to approach their opening fixture with confidence.
Saturday, 26 September · 17:00 UK
Preview
The Faroe Islands begin their campaign at home to Kazakhstan in a group that also contains Slovakia and Moldova.
The Faroese have made encouraging progress in recent years, collecting 12 points during qualification for the 2026 World Cup after successfully retaining their League C status in the previous Nations League campaign.
Home advantage could be particularly valuable against Kazakhstan, with the Faroe Islands hoping to establish themselves as genuine promotion contenders.
Kazakhstan face another difficult away fixture in Slovakia on Tuesday, making this opening encounter especially important.
A demanding opening to the new Nations League
The opening round offers an unusually strong collection of international fixtures, with the Netherlands against Germany, Norway against Denmark and England against Spain among the main attractions.
There is also considerable interest in the managerial changes taking place across League A. Klopp, Xavi, Zidane and Mancini all begin new assignments during the opening three days, providing an additional storyline as several of Europe’s leading national teams enter a period of transition.
For the promoted countries, including Norway, Sweden and San Marino, the immediate challenge is to demonstrate that their recent progress can be sustained against stronger opposition.
And there will be little time for teams to recover from disappointing starts. Matchday 2 begins on Sunday, meaning the opening international window could already provide important clues about which nations are equipped to challenge for promotion, avoid relegation or reach the Nations League knockout rounds.
The league phase continues until 17 November, with the League A quarter-finals scheduled for March 2027 and the finals taking place between 9 and 13 June.