Nations League Preview – Matchdays 1, 2, 3 and 4
The 2026-27 Nations League gets underway this week with a slightly tweaked format, but the promise of a number of high quality games over the coming months.
Here’s the Groups for the initial stage of the tournament.
League 1 – Group A
- France
- Italy
- Belgium
- Turkey
League 1 – Group B
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Serbia
- Greece
League 1 – Group C
- Spain
- Croatia
- England
- Czechia
League 1 – Group D
- Portugal
- Denmark
- Norway
- Wales
League 2 – Group E
- Scotland
- Switzerland
- Slovenia
- North Macedonia
League 2 – Group F
- Hungary
- Ukraine
- Georgia
- Northern Ireland
League 2 – Group G
- Israel
- Austria
- Ireland
- Kosovo
League 2 – Group H
- Poland
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Romania
- Sweden
League 3 – Group I
- Albania
- Finland
- Belarus
- San Marino
League 3 – Group J
- Montenegro
- Armenia
- Cyprus
- Latvia
League 3 – Group K
- Kazakhstan
- Slovakia
- Faroe Islands
- Moldova
League 3 – Group L
- Iceland
- Bulgaria
- Estonia
- Luxembourg
League 4 – Group M
- Gibraltar
- Malta
- Andorra
League 4 – Group N
- Lithuania
- Azerbaijan
- Liechtenstein
This matchday will be a bumper one with FOUR sets of fixtures played from the end of September into October. The remaining two game weeks will be played in November.
Key Matchday 1 Fixtures
Matchday 1 runs from Thursday 24th September to Saturday 26th September. Fixtures outlined below are from League 1’s four groups.
- Norway v Denmark
- Netherlands v Germany
- Portugal v Wales
- Serbia v Greece
- Italy v Belgium
- Turkey v France
- Czechia v Croatia
- England v Spain
The action begins with a bang on Matchday 1 with World Champions Spain heading to Wembley to face England in a rematch of the 2024 European Championships Final. Wales face a tricky trip to Portugal, while Italy take on Belgium. Turkey begin by hosting France and old rivals Netherlands and Germany will face off, along with Norway and Denmark. Serbia host Greece in what should be a highly competitive encounter.
Key Matchday 2 Fixtures
Matchday 2 follows hot on the heels of the opening set of fixtures with games taking place from Sunday 27th September to Tuesday 29th September.
- Denmark v Wales
- Serbia v Netherlands
- Norway v Portugal
- Germany v Greece
- Belgium v France
- Turkey v Italy
- Spain v Croatia
- Czechia v England
Wales renew their rivalry with Denmark on Matchday 2, while Netherlands head to Serbia and Norway host Portugal. Germany face Greece while the top game of the evening will see neighbours Belgium and France lock horns. Turkey host Italy, while Spain take on Croatia and England face a trip to Prague to take on Czechia.
Key Matchday 3 Fixtures
The penultimate set of games in this break take place from the 1st to the 3rd October.
- Greece v Netherlands
- Germany v Serbia
- Wales v Norway
- Denmark v Portugal
- Belgium v Turkey
- France v Italy
- Croatia v England
- Spain v Czechia
A number of big games take place on Matchday 3, Croatia host England and Belgium host Turkey, but France v Italy looks like being the pick of the fixtures in this set of matches.
Key Matchday 4 Fixtures
The final set of games in this international break will take place from the 4th October through to the 6th October.
- Greece v Germany
- Netherlands v Serbia
- Portugal v Norway
- Wales v Denmark
- Italy v Turkey
- France v Belgium
- Croatia v Spain
- England v Czechia
France v Belgium heads the final set of fixtures in this international break, with Portugal v Norway, Wales v Denmark, Croatia v Spain and England v Czechia also catch the eye.
By the time these games have been completed there will just be the final two sets of games to complete the league stage, which take place in mid-November.
There will then be a two-legged quarter final series of games in March 2027, featuring the four winners and runners up from Groups A, B, C and D.
The semi-finals, third place playoff and final will be contested in an as yet unspecified venue when the four qualifiers for the semi-finals are known. These matches will all be played from the 9th to 13th June 2027.
Portugal are the current holders of the Nations League, winning their second title the last time the tournament was held.
Nations League Winners – Latest Betting Odds
The latest odds on the win outright market for the Nations League are as follows:-
- France – 11/4
- Spain – 3/1
- Germany, England – 9/2
- Portugal – 8/1
- Netherlands – 12/1
- Belgium, Norway – 16/1
- Italy, Denmark – 33/1
- Croatia – 50/1
- Serbia, Turkey – 100/1
- Greece – 125/1
- Czechia – 150/1
- Wales – 150/1
