The UEFA Nations League for 2026/27 will begin with the beginning of September 24 to October 6, 2026 as a busy international window. There will be a big European match on the first four matchdays, Spain vs England, Germany vs Netherlands, France vs Italy and Portugal vs Norway.
With so little time between games teams will have to manage their squads with a mindset when they are trying to get some valuable points in League A groups.
Nations League starts on September 24
The new Nations League campaign starts on September 24, 2026. There are big matches on the first matchday with the Netherlands vs Germany, Portugal vs Wales, Italy vs Belgium and England vs Spain among the top ones.
The opening four matchdays will be played between September 24 and October 6. UEFA has described this as a prolonged international window in which teams will generally play four Nations League games in quick succession.
Spain vs England Headlines September.
One of the biggest games of the opening phase will be England vs Spain on September 26.
Spain is in Group A3 with England, Croatia and Czechia. After playing England, Spain will meet Croatia on September 29 before playing Czechia on October 3 and Croatia again on October 6.
England also faces Croatia and Czechia in the opening phase and so Group A3 is one of the groups to watch in the process.
Germany and Netherlands start with a major clash
Germany will begin their campaign against the Netherlands on September 24.
The two teams are joined by Serbia and Greece in Group A2. Germany then plays Greece on September 27, Serbia on October 1 and Greece again on October 4.
The opening Germany-Netherlands match could immediately set the tone for the group.
Portugal Face Wales and Norway
Defending champions Portugal also have an interesting start.
Portugal hosts Wales on September 24 before travelling to face Norway on September 27. They then play Denmark on October 1 and host Norway on October 4.
The two games against Norway will be especially interesting, with Portugal facing a Norwegian side led by the attacking threat of Erling Haaland.
France and Italy meet twice
Group A1 includes France, Italy, Belgium and Türkiye.
France and Italy will meet on October 2, while the reverse fixture is scheduled for November. Before that, France will meet Türkiye and Belgium, and Italy will meet Belgium before playing Türkiye.
This group could produce several important matches during the opening weeks.
Why do September and October matter?
The first four matchdays will give teams a large part of their league-phase campaign in a very short period.
League A group winners and runners-up qualify for the quarter-finals while the other teams will find themselves in promotion and relegation games based on their positions.
That makes every September and October match so crucial especially for teams in the fiercely contested League A groups.
Strong Teams to Watch
Spain, England, France, Germany, Portugal and Italy are among the biggest names in League A. However, the Nations League format means results rather than reputation will determine who progresses.
The September 24-October 6 period will therefore give us an early indication of which teams can handle the demanding schedule and reach the top of their groups.
When does this phase happen?
The opening four matchdays take place from September 24 to October 6, 2026:
- Matchday 1: September 24–26
- Matchday 2: September 27–29
- Matchday 3: September 30–October 3
- Matchday 4: October 4–6
The remaining league-phase matches will be played on November 12-17, according to UEFA's official schedule.
