UEFA Nations League Matchday 1 Results: England Lose to Spain as France, Belgium & Croatia Win

UEFA Nations League Matchday 1 is complete, with the opening round of the 2026/27 league phase finishing on Saturday, September 26. The three-day matchday produced major results across Europe, including Spain's 3-2 victory over England, France's narrow win in Türkiye, Belgium's victory over Italy and Croatia's 2-1 win against Czechia.

The first matchday ran from September 24 to September 26, 2026, with 26 matches played across Leagues A, B, C and D. The opening round also saw Portugal begin their title defence with a win, while Germany and the Netherlands played out a 1-1 draw in Amsterdam.

UEFA Nations League Matchday 1 Results

England 2-3 Spain: Oyarzabal Decides the Wembley Thriller

The headline result of Matchday 1 came at Wembley Stadium, where Spain defeated England 3-2 in a dramatic League A encounter.

Spain made a flying start when Lamine Yamal opened the scoring inside two minutes. England responded strongly, with Anthony Gordon finding the net on the break before Harry Kane's header, which deflected off Marc Cucurella, put the hosts ahead before half-time.

Kane then had the opportunity to extend England's lead from the penalty spot but missed. Spain took advantage as substitute Álex Baena restored parity before setting up Mikel Oyarzabal for the winning goal 16 minutes from time.

France Begin Zidane Era With Victory

France also began the new Nations League campaign with three points, defeating Türkiye 1-0 in Istanbul.

Kylian Mbappé scored the only goal in the 54th minute after being played through by Michael Olise. The goal gave Zinédine Zidane a winning start as France coach.

France had earlier created chances through Olise, while Türkiye threatened through İsmail Yüksek. The hosts were reduced to ten men late on after goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır was dismissed, allowing France to see out the victory.

Belgium Defeat Italy in Rome

Belgium produced another significant League A result by beating Italy 2-0 in Rome.

The victory gave Mark van Bommel three points in his first Nations League match as Belgium coach and immediately put the visitors in a strong position in Group A1.

Italy struggled to turn their opportunities into goals, while Belgium capitalised on their chances to leave Rome with a clean sheet and a valuable away win.

Portugal Start Title Defence With 1-0 Win

The reigning Nations League champions Portugal began their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Wales in Lisbon.

João Félix scored the decisive goal in the 22nd minute after collecting Nuno Mendes' pass and finishing from outside the box.

Portugal controlled much of the match, although Wales came close to equalising when Brennan Johnson's effort struck the crossbar. Rúben Dias then produced an important block to prevent the visitors from turning the rebound into a goal.

Haaland Scores Twice as Norway Beat Denmark

Norway opened their League A campaign with a 3-2 victory over Denmark in one of Matchday 1's most entertaining games.

Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway survived a back-and-forth contest and claimed all three points.

The result immediately placed Norway among the early winners in League A, while Denmark were left to regroup ahead of Matchday 2.

Germany Held by the Netherlands

Jürgen Klopp's first Nations League match as Germany coach ended in a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands in Amsterdam.

Germany had taken the lead, but former Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo scored a late equaliser to deny Klopp a winning start.

The result means both heavyweight sides begin the campaign with one point from their opening fixture.

Finland Produce Matchday's Biggest Win

The biggest scoreline of the opening round came in League C, where Finland defeated San Marino 7-0.

Joel Pohjanpalo scored the first hat-trick of the 2026/27 Nations League campaign as Finland overwhelmed San Marino.

The seven-goal victory gave Finland an immediate boost in Group C1 and represented the largest winning margin of Matchday 1.

Croatia Edge Czechia as Modrić Stars Again

Croatia completed Matchday 1 with a 2-1 away victory over Czechia.

Veteran midfielder Luka Modrić opened the scoring early in the second half. Czechia responded through Adam Karabec, but Croatia eventually found the winning goal when Ivan Perišić's cross was headed home by Marco Pašalić.

The victory gave Croatia an important three points in Group A3, which also features England and Spain.

What We Learned From Nations League Matchday 1

The opening round immediately produced several important storylines, although the league phase remains in its early stages.

Spain made the biggest statement in League A. The 3-2 victory at Wembley gives the reigning world champions an early win over England and puts them on three points alongside Croatia in Group A3.

France and Belgium also started with victories. Both teams collected three points away from home, with France defeating Türkiye and Belgium beating Italy.

Portugal's title defence is underway. João Félix's goal was enough to give the holders a winning start against Wales.

Germany and the Netherlands cancelled each other out. Their 1-1 draw leaves both teams with one point after Matchday 1.

Finland supplied the biggest scoreline. Their 7-0 victory over San Marino was the widest margin of the opening round, with Pohjanpalo's hat-trick providing the individual highlight.

UEFA Nations League Matchday 1: The Opening Round

Matchday 1 delivered a strong opening to the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League. From Spain's late winner at Wembley and France's narrow victory in Türkiye to Belgium's success in Rome and Portugal's title-defence opener, several League A contenders immediately picked up important points.

The lower leagues also produced plenty of action, with Finland's seven-goal win, Switzerland's 3-0 victory over North Macedonia and Luxembourg's 2-1 success in Bulgaria among the notable results.

With Matchday 1 now complete, attention turns immediately to the second round of fixtures, which begins on September 27. The 2026/27 league phase continues through November, with teams competing for positions that will determine their routes through the Nations League's promotion, relegation and knockout stages.