The UEFA Nations League 2026-27 got under way on 24 September 2026. During this international window, Europe's national teams play four matchdays in thirteen days, up to 6 October. The League A menu includes England v Spain, Türkiye v France, Belgium v France and Norway v Portugal. Portugal are defending their title, having won the 2025 edition.
In this guide: the competition format, the four League A groups, every League A fixture of the window with UK and Nairobi kick-off times, the fixtures of Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and how to predict these matches with data.
How the 2026-27 Nations League works
The competition is split into four divisions, with promotion and relegation:
- Leagues A, B and C: 16 teams each, in 4 groups of 4.
- League D: 6 teams, in 2 groups of 3.
- The league phase runs from 24 September to 17 November 2026 (6 matchdays per team in the groups of 4).
What's at stake in League A
- The top two in each group (8 teams) play two-legged quarter-finals from 25 to 30 March 2027. Each group winner faces a runner-up from another group and plays the second leg at home.
- The four quarter-final winners meet at the Finals, from 9 to 13 June 2027: semi-finals, third-place match and final, all one-off games.
- At the bottom, the two weakest fourth-placed teams drop straight into League B. The two best fourth-placed teams and the two weakest third-placed teams play relegation play-offs against League B runners-up.
There's another angle: the 2026-27 edition is expected to be linked to Euro 2028 qualifying, with a possible play-off route for some teams. The exact details depend on the rules of those qualifiers.
The League A groups
| Group | Teams |
|---|---|
| A1 | France, Italy, Belgium, Türkiye |
| A2 | Germany, Netherlands, Greece, Serbia |
| A3 | Spain, England, Croatia, Czechia |
| A4 | Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Wales |
For English-speaking fans, Group A3 is the headline act: England face Spain, Croatia and Czechia, starting with England v Spain on 26 September. In Group A4, Wales share a group with the holders Portugal, Norway and Denmark.
League A fixtures for this window
Kick-off times in GMT (Accra, Freetown), UK time (BST, GMT+1 until 25 October; Lagos is on the same time) and Nairobi time (EAT, GMT+3, also Kampala and Dar es Salaam). For Johannesburg, add 2 hours to GMT. Scores as of the morning of 25 September 2026.
| MD | Date | GMT | UK / Lagos | Nairobi | Group | Fixture | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu 24 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A2 | Serbia v Greece | 1-2 |
| 1 | Thu 24 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A2 | Netherlands v Germany | 1-1 |
| 1 | Thu 24 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A4 | Portugal v Wales | 1-0 |
| 1 | Thu 24 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A4 | Norway v Denmark | 3-2 |
| 1 | Fri 25 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A1 | Italy v Belgium | — |
| 1 | Fri 25 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A1 | Türkiye v France | — |
| 1 | Sat 26 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A3 | England v Spain | — |
| 1 | Sat 26 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A3 | Czechia v Croatia | — |
| 2 | Sun 27 Sep | 16:00 | 17:00 | 19:00 | A2 | Serbia v Netherlands | — |
| 2 | Sun 27 Sep | 16:00 | 17:00 | 19:00 | A4 | Denmark v Wales | — |
| 2 | Sun 27 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A2 | Germany v Greece | — |
| 2 | Sun 27 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A4 | Norway v Portugal | — |
| 2 | Mon 28 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A1 | Belgium v France | — |
| 2 | Mon 28 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A1 | Türkiye v Italy | — |
| 2 | Tue 29 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A3 | Spain v Croatia | — |
| 2 | Tue 29 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A3 | Czechia v England | — |
| 3 | Thu 1 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A2 | Germany v Serbia | — |
| 3 | Thu 1 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A2 | Greece v Netherlands | — |
| 3 | Thu 1 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A4 | Denmark v Portugal | — |
| 3 | Thu 1 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A4 | Wales v Norway | — |
| 3 | Fri 2 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A1 | Belgium v Türkiye | — |
| 3 | Fri 2 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A1 | France v Italy | — |
| 3 | Sat 3 Oct | 16:00 | 17:00 | 19:00 | A3 | Croatia v England | — |
| 3 | Sat 3 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A3 | Spain v Czechia | — |
| 4 | Sun 4 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A2 | Greece v Germany | — |
| 4 | Sun 4 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A2 | Netherlands v Serbia | — |
| 4 | Sun 4 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A4 | Portugal v Norway | — |
| 4 | Sun 4 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A4 | Wales v Denmark | — |
| 4 | Mon 5 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A1 | France v Belgium | — |
| 4 | Mon 5 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A1 | Italy v Türkiye | — |
| 4 | Tue 6 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A3 | Croatia v Spain | — |
| 4 | Tue 6 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | A3 | England v Czechia | — |
England therefore play four times in eleven days: Spain at home, then away to Czechia and Croatia, before hosting Czechia. Times can change: check before kick-off.
Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (League B)
The three sides are all in League B, in different groups:
- Group B1: Switzerland, North Macedonia, Scotland, Slovenia.
- Group B2: Northern Ireland, Ukraine, Hungary, Georgia.
- Group B3: Austria, Kosovo, Republic of Ireland, Israel.
| Date | GMT | UK / Lagos | Nairobi | Group | Fixture | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 24 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | B3 | Kosovo v Republic of Ireland | 1-0 |
| Fri 25 Sep | 16:00 | 17:00 | 19:00 | B2 | Georgia v Northern Ireland | — |
| Sat 26 Sep | 13:00 | 14:00 | 16:00 | B1 | Slovenia v Scotland | — |
| Sun 27 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | B3 | Israel v Republic of Ireland | — |
| Mon 28 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | B2 | Northern Ireland v Hungary | — |
| Tue 29 Sep | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | B1 | Scotland v Switzerland | — |
| Thu 1 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | B3 | Republic of Ireland v Austria | — |
| Fri 2 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | B2 | Ukraine v Northern Ireland | — |
| Sat 3 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | B1 | North Macedonia v Scotland | — |
| Sun 4 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | B3 | Republic of Ireland v Israel | — |
| Mon 5 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | B2 | Northern Ireland v Georgia | — |
| Tue 6 Oct | 18:45 | 19:45 | 21:45 | B1 | Scotland v Slovenia | — |
In the other groups, Poland, Sweden, Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina make up Group B4. League C includes Slovakia, Iceland, Finland, Albania and Montenegro, among others, and League D has two groups of three (Andorra, Gibraltar, Malta; Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein, Lithuania).
Early lessons from matchday 1
Four League A matches were played on 24 September:
- Netherlands 1-1 Germany: honours even in the Group A2 heavyweight clash.
- Serbia 1-2 Greece: Greece win in Belgrade.
- Portugal 1-0 Wales: the holders start with a narrow win.
- Norway 3-2 Denmark: an open game with five goals.
In League B, Austria beat Israel 3-1 and Kosovo beat the Republic of Ireland 1-0.
A single match tells you almost nothing about a team's real strength. That's exactly the prediction mistake to avoid: overreacting to one result (we cover it in football predictions: 7 common mistakes to avoid).
How to predict a Nations League match
International matches have their own traps. Here's what we look at.
1. Rotation
Four matches in thirteen days is a lot. Managers rotate, especially between games close together or when qualification is already well on track. Line-ups announced an hour before kick-off often change the picture: a first-choice striker left out means fewer expected goals.
2. Club form isn't enough
A player on fire for his club doesn't guarantee an effective national team. What counts is the national side's collective output: chances created, chances conceded, xG over its recent internationals.
3. The maths of the table
Late in the group phase, a draw can suit both teams. Conversely, a team threatened with relegation can't afford to manage the game. That context changes how teams play, and therefore the probabilities.
4. Think in probabilities, not certainties
A match between two closely matched sides, like England v Spain or France v Italy, often leaves plenty of room for a draw. A good prediction gives you all three 1X2 outcomes, adding up to 100%, rather than a "sure tip". And for the correct score, remember that even the most likely score rarely has more than a 15% chance of landing: we explain why in sure correct score predictions: do they really exist?.
Getting an AI prediction for these matches
Elofoot covers the Nations League. For each fixture, a statistical model estimates each team's expected goals (from xG, form and the match context), turns them into 1X2 probabilities with the Poisson distribution, then the AI explains the scenario in plain English. The numbers come from the model; the AI doesn't make them up. It's all set out in our methodology and on the AI football match analysis page.
- Today's matches are grouped on football predictions today.
- Predictions for every Nations League fixture are on Nations League predictions, and everything else on AI football predictions.
- Your first full prediction is free, no card needed.
Responsible gambling. Elofoot's predictions are statistical estimates, not certainties or betting advice. Betting is for adults only (18+ in the UK and most countries, older in some) and carries real risks: debt, dependency, isolation. Never stake money you need and never chase losses. If gambling stops being fun, talk to someone you trust or a local support service. In Great Britain, the National Gambling Helpline (run by GamCare) is free and open 24/7 on 0808 8020 133.
Frequently asked questions
When is the 2026-27 Nations League played?
The league phase runs from 24 September to 17 November 2026, across the September-October and November international windows. The League A quarter-finals take place from 25 to 30 March 2027 and the Finals from 9 to 13 June 2027.
Which group are England in?
England are in Group A3 with Spain, Croatia and Czechia. In this window they host Spain (26 September), travel to Czechia (29 September) and Croatia (3 October), then host Czechia (6 October).
Who are the holders?
Portugal, winners of the 2025 edition. They're in Group A4 with Norway, Denmark and Wales.
How many teams reach the Finals?
Four: the winners of the quarter-finals, which pit the top two from each of the four League A groups against each other.
Are AI predictions reliable for international matches?
They're consistent and reasoned, but never certain. National teams play rarely and change line-ups often, which increases the uncertainty. A prediction is a tool for reading the match, not a guarantee.
