Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo who recently achieved a historic 900th career goal, will face Scotland in a crucial UEFA Nations League Group A1 match. The match will be held at the Estadio do Benfica in Lisbon on Sunday, with the Scots looking to bounce back from their recent loss to Poland.
England midfielder Declan Rice scored against Ireland in the UEFA Nations League, sparking a wave of boos from Irish fans who still resent his decision to switch allegiances from Ireland to England in 2019. The goal was a reminder of the controversy surrounding Rice and Jack Grealish, who both previously represented Ireland at youth levels.
Erling Haaland, the prolific Manchester City striker, was surprisingly kept off the scoresheet in Norway’s goalless draw against Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. The Kazakh defense employed a tight 5-4-1 formation to effectively neutralize Haaland, who had previously scored a hat-trick in consecutive Premier League matches. Meanwhile, other Nations League matches saw Belgium triumph over Israel, Wales and Turkey draw, and Iceland claim victory over Montenegro.
Kevin De Bruyne scored twice as Belgium defeated Israel 3-1 in their opening UEFA Nations League clash. The match, played in Hungary due to security concerns, saw De Bruyne’s brace and a goal from Youri Tielemans secure the win for Belgium.
Italy overcame a disastrous start to defeat France 3-1 in a thrilling opening match of the Nations League Group 2. Bradley Barcola put France ahead within 12 seconds, but Italy responded with goals from Federico Dimarco, Davide Frattesi, and Giacomo Raspadori to secure a crucial victory.
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman has recalled defender Matthijs de Ligt for the upcoming Nations League campaign, suggesting he could start alongside Virgil van Dijk in central defense. De Ligt, who missed out on the Euro 2024 squad, is looking to re-establish himself with the national team after a challenging spell at Bayern Munich.
Denmark secured a 2-0 victory over Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League, with Patrick Dorgu scoring on his debut. Meanwhile, San Marino celebrated a historic win, defeating Liechtenstein 1-0 in their first ever competitive match victory.
Spain, the reigning Euro 2024 champions, were held to a goalless draw by Serbia in their Nations League Group Four opener on Thursday. Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances, Spain failed to find the back of the net, ending their nine-game winning streak.
The UEFA Nations League 2024-25 season kicks off on September 5th with Azerbaijan facing Sweden in Baku. This exciting tournament features top European national teams competing in various leagues. This article provides a comprehensive list of fixtures for Matchday 1 and 2, highlighting key matchups and dates.
FIFA has announced a more intricate draw for European World Cup qualifying groups, placing greater importance on the UEFA Nations League standings than traditional FIFA rankings. The new system will see the top seeds for the 12 groups determined by the Nations League quarterfinalists and top-ranked teams outside the top eight. This will mean the full draw cannot be finalized until after the Nations League quarterfinals in March 2023, leaving teams uncertain about their opponents for several months.
