The opening round of the Nations League concluded on Saturday 26 September 2026 with 10 matches across Leagues A, B and C, led by Spain’s 3-2 win over England at Wembley. Croatia also won away to Czechia, Switzerland recorded a three-goal victory, while Finland claimed the biggest win by thrashing San Marino 7-0.
Spain and Croatia share Group C lead
In League A Group C, Spain and Croatia began their campaigns with three points each. Spain overcame hosts England in an eventful match, while Croatia returned from Prague with a 2-1 win over Czechia, leaving Spain and Croatia level at the top before their head-to-head meeting.
Lamine Yamal needed less than two minutes to put Spain ahead against England, but the hosts responded with goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane. Kane’s goal came from a header that struck Marc Cucurella before settling in the net, giving England a 2-1 half-time lead. Kane then had the chance to extend England’s advantage from the penalty spot, but missed, and the course of the match later changed.
Substitute Álex Baena equalised for Spain before setting up the winner, scored by Mikel Oyarzabal 16 minutes from time, giving the visitors a 3-2 victory. Oyarzabal again played a decisive role against England after scoring Spain’s winning goal in the Euro 2024 final.
His goal at Wembley gave Spain their first three points in the new edition of the Nations League. In Prague, the first half between Czechia and Croatia ended goalless before all three goals were scored after the break.
Luka Modric opened the scoring for Croatia seconds after the restart, but Adam Karabec brought Czechia level. Marko Pasalic then headed Croatia’s winner from a cross by Ivan Perisic, sending the visitors home from the Czech capital with a 2-1 victory. The result gave Croatia three points, level with Spain.
Next-round fixtures and Switzerland’s three-goal win
Spain and Croatia will meet on Tuesday 29 September in the next round of Group C, while England will visit Czechia on the same day after both teams began without points. In League B Group A, Switzerland opened their campaign with a 3-0 away win over North Macedonia.
Remo Freuler opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, and Zeki Amdouni added a second in the 41st before scoring his second and Switzerland’s third in the 74th minute. It was Switzerland’s first match in League B, and the victory gave them an early lead in the group on goal difference.
Finland record the round’s biggest win with seven goals
Pohjanpalo opened the scoring in the fifth minute before Svanbäck added a second in the 14th, and Källman scored the third in the 33rd. After half-time, Walta scored twice in succession, and Pohjanpalo completed his hat-trick with goals in the 79th and 88th minutes.
Albania and Slovakia settle League C fixtures
In the group’s other match, Albania beat Belarus 2-0. Kristjan Asllani put Albania ahead in the 34th minute before Ernest Muçi added a second in first-half stoppage time. In League C Group C, Slovakia began their campaign with a 2-0 win over Moldova.
Ivan Schranz opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, and Ondrej Duda doubled the lead eight minutes later to secure three points for the hosts. Faroe Islands drew 1-1 with Kazakhstan in the same group. The hosts took the lead through Áki Damsgaard in the 14th minute before Temirlan Erlanov equalised for Kazakhstan in the 26th, leaving each team with one point.
In Group D, Luxembourg came from behind to beat Bulgaria 2-1 away. Bulgaria took the lead through Asen Chandarov in the 18th minute, but Leandro Barreiro equalised for the visitors in the 37th before Vincent Thill scored the winner in the 65th.
The victory marked a different start for Luxembourg, who failed to win in League C during the 2024-2025 edition before opening the new campaign with three points away from home. Luxembourg topped the group after the opening round as a result. In the other Group D match, Iceland and Estonia drew 1-1.
Andri Gudjohnsen put Iceland ahead in the 45th minute before Maksim Paskotši equalised for Estonia in the 64th, leaving each team with a point. Saturday’s results also included Slovenia’s goalless draw with Scotland, Finland’s 7-0 win over San Marino, Faroe Islands’ 1-1 draw with Kazakhstan and Luxembourg’s 2-1 victory over Bulgaria.
Switzerland also beat North Macedonia 3-0, Albania defeated Belarus 2-0 and Slovakia beat Moldova 2-0, alongside Spain and Croatia’s victories in League A and Iceland’s draw with Estonia. These matches concluded the opening round of the fifth edition of the Nations League, which began on 24 September.
The second round begins on Sunday 27 September, while the league phase continues until 17 November.
