England against Spain is the headline, but it is not the only heavyweight fixture in the opening round. Portugal start their title defence, Germany travel to Amsterdam and France are in Turkey. Here is what Matchday 1 actually offers, with confirmed dates and kick-off times.
Portugal vs Wales
Portugal are the reigning Nations League champions, having won the 2025 finals on penalties against Spain, and they are the competition's most successful side with two titles. Wales are back in League A after winning promotion from League B, and their reward is a group that also contains Norway and Denmark. For Wales, survival in the division is the realistic target; for Portugal, anything short of the top two would be a poor start.
Netherlands vs Germany
The best fixture of the opening round on paper. Both sides stayed in League A from last season and both will expect to reach the March quarter-finals, which means the two head-to-head games in Group A2 carry extra weight. Group A2 also contains Serbia and Greece, so a win in Amsterdam is the fastest route to control of the group.
The other Thursday openers
Norway vs Denmark in Group A4 pairs two sides who know each other well and are both chasing the same two quarter-final places behind Portugal. Serbia vs Greece opens Group A2 alongside the Dutch and German meeting. All four of Thursday's League A games kick off at 20:45 CEST.
Italy vs Belgium and Türkiye vs France
Group A1 is the tightest-looking group in League A, with France, Italy, Belgium and Türkiye all in it, and both openers are genuinely difficult to call. Italy host Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico, while France travel to Türkiye. With only two quarter-final places available, every dropped point matters more here than anywhere else in the division.
Czechia vs Croatia
The other match in England's group, and it kicks off at exactly the same time as England vs Spain. Czechia and Croatia will both see the other's fixtures against the group's two heavyweights as their best chance of points, which makes this one of the more consequential games of the round for England and Spain as well.
England vs Spain
England open at home against the world champions in front of a sold-out Wembley, with five players having withdrawn from Thomas Tuchel's squad. Read the full England vs Spain preview, including the confirmed team news and how to watch.
What is at stake in Matchday 1
This is the first round of the fifth Nations League, and the format has changed. League A now holds 16 teams in four groups of four, with each side playing six matches home and away across September, October and November 2026.
- The top two in each group advance to two-legged quarter-finals on 25–30 March 2027.
- The four quarter-final winners reach the Nations League Finals in June 2027, which decide the title.
- The bottom team in each League A group is relegated automatically, and third place goes to a promotion/relegation play-off against a League B runner-up.
Results also feed the play-off route into Euro 2028 qualifying, so the league phase is worth more than the trophy alone.
Related
Fixture dates and kick-off times: UEFA, 2026/27 Nations League league phase schedule. Format details: UEFA. Confirmed as of 23 September 2026; times are shown in UK and Central European time and may be subject to late change.