This autumn marks the start of the 4th edition of the UEFA Nations League, where 54 European national teams will compete across four leagues. The league matches will be played from September to November, followed by playoffs next year, with the final set for June 8, 2025. So far, no team has managed to win the title more than once.
Only 16 teams in League A will compete for the championship title, determined by their performance in the previous Nations League edition and divided into four groups. Previously, knockout games began at the semi-final stage, with only the group winners advancing.
Now, the top two teams from each group will proceed to the knockout stage, starting from the quarter-finals over two legs. France and current European Champions Spain are the top favourites of the tournament.
Top 5 Favourites to Win the Nations League
Despite numerous factors, the 2020/21 winners are considered the main contenders for the Trophy. France are currently facing one of the toughest groups, with Italy and Belgium among their opponents. In the previous Nations League, they finished a distant third in their group.
Nevertheless, France remains a dream team, at least in terms of names. Ranked third in terms of total player value (exactly one billion euros), according to Transfermarkt, the national team boasts a collection of stars in their prime. The main one is Kylian Mbappé. He scored twice in La Liga and earlier helped the team win the UEFA Super Cup.
Spain’s impressive victory in Euro 2024 came after they defeated Germany, France, and England to win the trophy. They are also the current Nations League champions, having edged out Croatia 5:4 on penalties following a goalless 120 minutes in the 2023 final.
With a group stage draw that includes Denmark, Switzerland, and Serbia, Spain is anticipated to advance to the knockout stages with relative ease. The Spaniards not only took the Euro Cup but also most of the individual awards. Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal, Rodri, and Mikel Oyarzabal are the stars of the national side.
The inaugural Nations League champions struggled during the Euros, failing to score in both their round of 16 and quarter-final matches. Portugal's performance was lacklustre, as they lost to Georgia in the group stage and barely advanced past Slovenia on penalties, only to be eliminated by France in a similar fashion. Despite these setbacks, it's premature to count the team out completely.
Germany are considered one of the top contenders, though their previous Nations League campaign was underwhelming. They managed to win just one of their six group stage matches and were spared relegation only due to England's poor performance. Despite having the advantage of home support during the Euros, Germany failed to advance past the quarter-finals, with Spain putting an end to their championship ambitions.
The Netherlands, Germany's opponents in the group, demonstrated strong performance during the Euros, reaching the semi-finals before falling 1:2 to England due to a last-minute goal. This success was part of a solid period for the Dutch, who also emerged unbeaten in their Nations League group during the 2022/23 season.
Among those not contending for the title, the most interesting scenarios are in League B, as its winners will be promoted to League A and get a chance to fight for the Cup in the next edition.
The England team, relegated from the top division after the last edition, is the main favourite to win its group and return to League A.
Since relegation, they have advanced to the final of the Euros, where they were ultimately defeated by Spain. This marked Gareth Southgate’s final act as manager after an eight-year tenure. Lee Carsley now has the opportunity to showcase his abilities, having been appointed interim manager for England’s next two matches.
England's opening fixture is a short journey to face the Republic of Ireland. Although geographically close, the two teams have only played three friendlies this century, with England securing one win and the other two ending in draws. Ireland are currently struggling, having won only 3 of their last 16 home games across all competitions. They are widely viewed as a strong candidate for relegation to League C.
In the previous edition of the Nations League, Finland appeared to be a classic mid-table team, alternating between confident victories over Montenegro and lacklustre performances against Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, they managed to qualify for the Euro play-offs from League B, where they suffered a heavy defeat to Wales in the semi-finals (4-1).
Greece was promoted from League C, where they won all their matches except one, which was lost to their 'relatives' from Cyprus. In the play-off semi-finals, they thrashed Kazakhstan 5-0. Just one step away from qualifying for the Euros, the Greeks were halted by the Georgian team, who would later shine in Germany and upset Cristiano Ronaldo. The penalty shootout decided the outcome in the play-off final.
Unlike Greece and Finland, the Irish didn't even seem to have time to dream about qualifying for the Euros, as they failed to reach the play-offs while competing in League B. The only memorable moment from that edition was a convincing 3-0 victory over Scotland.
