UEFA Nations League 2026/27 kicks off: 54 teams, Portugal defend title
The 2026-27 UEFA Nations League league phase began on Thursday, September 24, featuring 54 European national teams, with defending champions Portugal in action and new head coaches debuting for the Netherlands and Germany.
New season begins
The league phase of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League got underway on Thursday, September 24, featuring 54 European national teams split into four divisions — Leagues A, B, C and D — across 14 groups, according to Al Jazeera. Matchday 1 runs through Saturday, September 26, with Matchday 2 following from September 27-29.
Format and schedule
Each team plays every other side in its group twice, home and away, with the league phase concluding in November. Per Al Jazeera, remaining matchdays are set for October 1-3, October 4-6, November 12-14 and November 15-17. In League A, group winners and runners-up advance to the quarterfinals, scheduled for March 25-30, 2027, with the final tournament set for June 9-13, 2027; a host has not yet been confirmed. Al Jazeera also lists League C/D promotion play-offs for March 23-28, 2028 — a date that doesn't fit the rest of the timeline, suggesting a possible inconsistency in that source. Group winners in the lower divisions are promoted, while bottom-placed teams in Leagues A, B and C are relegated, with some sides contesting play-offs for a place in the following season. The competition is also expected to be linked to qualification for UEFA Euro 2028 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Portugal defend the crown
Defending champions Portugal have won the tournament twice, in 2019 and 2025. In last year's final in Munich, Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw, with Cristiano Ronaldo among the scorers, Al Jazeera reports. Under new head coach Jorge Jesus, Portugal opened their new campaign with a 1-0 home win over Wales, Joao Felix scoring in the 22nd minute according to The Guardian's live coverage. The 41-year-old Ronaldo featured despite hinting over the summer that this could be his final season of international football.
New managers, tight contests
Matchday 1's headline fixture was Netherlands v Germany, marking the managerial debuts of Xavi Hernandez and Jurgen Klopp respectively. Per The Guardian's live blog, an early Netherlands goal from captain Van Dijk (13th minute) was ruled out, before Germany's Nmecha put his side ahead in the 32nd minute, making it 0-1 at half-time. Elsewhere, Erling Haaland's Norway led Denmark 2-1 at the break, while Serbia led Greece 1-0. Broadcast and streaming access varied by region — U.S. viewers, for instance, could watch via fuboTV, according to Syracuse.com and Yahoo Sports.
