Publication date: 11 Jul 2025
The UEFA Nations League is an international football tournament organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). It was created to replace unofficial friendlies with more competitive matches between national teams. The Nations League has become an important part of the international tournament calendar. It provides an additional opportunity for national teams to showcase themselves on the European stage. This way, they can qualify for the European and World Championships.
2026-27 UEFA Nations League season
2026/27 UEFA Nations League will be the fifth edition of the tournament between European national teams. The group stage will begin on 23 September 2026 and end in November, with the playoffs and finals taking place in the spring and summer of 2027. The quarter-finals will take place in March 2027, and the final four will take place from 9 to 15 June 2027.
Who will take part?
All European teams will participate in the tournament — up to 55 teams in total, divided into four divisions (A, B, C and D) depending on their ranking. The strongest European teams will play in League A, including England, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands and others.
Each team will play 6 matches in its group — home and away. The winners of the League A groups will advance to the playoffs to fight for the title. For the first time in the tournament’s history, there will be quarter-finals at this stage, which will be played over two legs. There will also be play-offs between the leagues to determine promotion or relegation.
Favorites
The favorites include the traditional top European teams: France, Spain, Germany, England, Italy and Portugal. Winning the Nations League could also help the teams gain an additional chance to qualify for Euro 2028.
Tournament History
The UEFA Nations League was held for the first time in the 2018-19 season. It was created to raise the profile of national team matches, making them more attractive to fans and players. The first edition was won by Portugal, who beat the Netherlands 1-0 in the final in Porto. The tournament quickly gained popularity. Furthermore, its format was considered a success, providing high quality football matches.
Tournament results for the last three years
| Год | Место проведения | Команда-победитель |
| 2024-25 | Germany | Portugal (second championship) |
| 2022-23 | Netherlands | Spain (first championship) |
| 2020-21 | Italy | France (first championship) |
Next Season of the UEFA Nations League
Currently, all eyes are on the upcoming league tournament in the 2026-27 season. Therefore, there’s no information about the next season yet.
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