Nations League 2026/27 begins on 24 September: Czechia–Croatia and England–Spain at the center of the opening round
The UEFA Nations League 2026/27 begins on 24 September, with the opening round of the league phase spread across three days, through 26 September. In the elite League A, Group A3 stands out in particular, featuring Spain, Croatia, England and Czechia, four national teams with very different but high ambitions. According to UEFA's official schedule, Group A3 opens on Saturday, 26 September with the matches Czechia–Croatia and England–Spain, both kicking off at 20:45 according to the competition schedule. Croatia then visits Spain just three days later, on 29 September, meaning it will play two demanding away matches in the opening days of the new Nations League season. The league phase ends on 17 November, while Croatia plays its final group match on 15 November against Czechia.
This is the fifth edition of the UEFA Nations League, a competition introduced to replace a large proportion of traditional friendly-match windows with competitive matches between national teams of a similar level. This year's schedule also differs from previous seasons because the first autumn international window has been extended: most national teams will play four matches between 24 September and 6 October. UEFA states that the League A quarter-finals and part of the promotion and relegation play-offs are scheduled from 25 to 30 March 2027, while the final tournament is planned for 9 to 13 June 2027.
The opening round begins on 24 September, with Group A3 scheduled two days later
According to the schedule published by UEFA for all 14 groups, the Nations League 2026/27 begins on Thursday, 24 September. On that day in League A, the Netherlands–Germany and Serbia–Greece matches are played in Group A2, as well as Norway–Denmark and Portugal–Wales in Group A4. A day later, the teams from Group A1 take the field, including the matches Italy–Belgium and Türkiye–France. Only on the third day of the opening round, Saturday, 26 September, does Group A3 begin, with the two matches immediately providing a very strong competitive programme. Czechia hosts Croatia, while England plays Spain at Wembley.
UEFA highlights the England–Spain match as one of the most interesting fixtures of the opening round. The two national teams met in the final of the 2024 European Championship, when Spain won 2:1 in Berlin, and the Spanish team also enters the new Nations League as the reigning world champion. England, meanwhile, is back in League A following promotion from the previous edition, so the match at Wembley will immediately provide an initial indication of the balance of power in the group. On the other hand, the Czechia–Croatia match in Prague carries additional significance because the teams are direct rivals for the positions that lead to the quarter-finals. Each national team in League A plays six matches, two against each opponent.
Croatia first in Prague, then in Seville
Croatia's first appearance in the Nations League 2026/27 is scheduled for 26 September against Czechia. The Czech Football Association has confirmed that the match will be played at FORTUNA Arena in Prague starting at 20:45, and the same venue will host Czechia–England three days later. Croatia has little time between its first two matches: on 29 September it already faces an away match against Spain. The Spanish Football Federation, RFEF, states that the match will be played at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium in Seville, also from 20:45.
Such a schedule particularly emphasizes the importance of logistics and player workload management. Four matches in less than two weeks leave little room for longer preparations or recovery, and after Prague and Seville, Croatia already plays England on 3 October. UEFA has set an earlier kick-off time of 18:00 for that match, making it Croatia's only league-phase match that, according to the current schedule, does not begin at 20:45. A home match against Spain follows on 6 October, bringing the first, exceptionally congested international block to an end. The remaining two group rounds are played in November.
Confirmed stadiums provide a clearer picture of Croatia's full schedule
Although UEFA's basic schedule did not initially list stadiums for every match, official sources from the national associations have since confirmed the locations of most Group A3 fixtures. Czechia–Croatia will be played on 26 September at FORTUNA Arena in Prague, while Spain–Croatia will be played on 29 September at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán stadium in Seville. England Football states that Croatia will host England on 3 October at Stadion HNK Rijeka, while RFEF's official calendar lists the Croatia–Spain match on 6 October at Poljud in Split. England will host Croatia at Wembley on 12 November, while the Czech Football Association states that Croatia's final home match against Czechia on 15 November is scheduled for Opus Arena in Osijek.
Croatia's schedule in Group A3 according to currently confirmed information is as follows:
- 26 September: Czechia–Croatia, 20:45, FORTUNA Arena, Prague
- 29 September: Spain–Croatia, 20:45, Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, Seville
- 3 October: Croatia–England, 18:00, Stadion HNK Rijeka, Rijeka
- 6 October: Croatia–Spain, 20:45, Poljud, Split
- 12 November: England–Croatia, 20:45, Wembley, London
- 15 November: Croatia–Czechia, 20:45, Opus Arena, Osijek
For travellers and supporters, it is important to check information immediately before purchasing transport or accommodation, as organizational details may change. Official association schedules currently confirm the listed cities and stadiums, but the status of tickets, away-supporter sections and any security restrictions are determined by the home associations and UEFA. This is particularly important for the Croatia–England match in Rijeka, for which special spectator arrangements apply.
Croatia–England in Rijeka will be played behind closed doors
England Football published a special supporter update on 16 September and confirmed that the Croatia–England match on 3 October will be played behind closed doors because of a UEFA sanction against Croatia. As a result, there is no conventional public ticket sale for this match. However, following discussions with UEFA, the English association received permission to distribute 100 free tickets to active members of the England Supporters Travel Club through a special application procedure. This exception does not change the fact that the match in Rijeka will generally be played without spectators.
For the other matches, the situation varies from market to market. The Czech association announced that ticket sales for home matches against Croatia, England and Spain began on 18 August through the Fotbal+ mobile application, with priority phases for some supporters in the loyalty programme. RFEF opened public sales for Spain–Croatia on 20 August after an initial period reserved for members of the home club, and availability has since been checked through the Spanish federation's official ticketing system. For matches at Wembley, England Football publishes information about ticket sales and any additional allocations. For each individual match, the most reliable approach is to follow the home association, as UEFA's central schedule does not automatically mean centralized ticket sales.
Group A3 brings together the reigning champion, a former finalist and two national teams with a new beginning
Group A3 also has a strong historical context within the Nations League itself. Spain won the 2022/23 edition after the final against Croatia in Rotterdam, which was 0:0 after 120 minutes before Spain won the penalty shootout 5:4. With that finish, Croatia achieved its best result in this competition, while Spain later also reached the final of the 2024/25 edition, in which Portugal won the title after another penalty shootout. Portugal is also the only national team with two Nations League titles, from 2019 and 2025, while France and Spain have won one title each. The group containing Croatia and Spain therefore provides a rematch of one of the competition's previous finals right from the start.
Croatia also enters the new season with a change on the bench. UEFA announced on 18 September that Slaven Bilić is beginning his second spell as Croatia head coach, having previously led the national team from 2006 to 2012. His first match after returning will be the away game against Czechia. The Czech national team has also entered a new era: it is led by Spanish coach Santi Denia, a former coach of Spain's youth national teams and a 2024 Olympic gold-medal winner. The Prague match on 26 September will therefore simultaneously mark the competitive beginning of two new coaching cycles.
Additional context for the Croatia–England meetings comes from their encounter at the 2026 World Cup. UEFA's review of Croatia's campaign states that England defeated Croatia 4:2 in the group stage, before Croatia advanced from the group and lost 2:1 to Portugal in the first knockout round. The national teams will meet again only a few months later, first in Rijeka on 3 October and then at Wembley on 12 November. Spain and England, meanwhile, begin the group as the two national teams that contested the Euro 2024 final, meaning Group A3 offers a series of matches with recent competitive history from the opening round onward.
The top two places lead to the quarter-finals, but the battle in the lower part of the group is also important
Under UEFA's rules for the 2026/27 season, the winners and runners-up of each of the four League A groups advance to the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals are played over two legs, and the winners of those ties advance to the four-team final tournament. UEFA has reserved the period from 25 to 30 March 2027 for the quarter-finals and part of the promotion-relegation play-offs, while the finals are scheduled from 9 to 13 June. For Croatia, Spain, England and Czechia, this means that the direct objective is one of the top two places in Group A3. Six league matches therefore leave little room for a prolonged run of poor results, especially with four rounds concentrated within the first thirteen days of the competition.
The promotion and relegation system has also changed this season because UEFA plans to move from four leagues to three from the 2028/29 edition. Under the current rules, the two best third-placed national teams in the overall League A ranking remain in the top division. The two lower-ranked third-placed teams and the two better fourth-placed teams enter play-offs against runners-up from League B, while the two lowest-ranked fourth-placed teams are relegated directly to League B. As a result, third and fourth place in the group do not have equal value in every scenario, and the overall performance can be decisive even beyond the A3 table itself. Every point, and even goal difference in the final standings, may carry additional importance.
The schedule leaves only a short break before the October return fixtures
The first two rounds of the Nations League are played from 24 to 29 September, with the third and fourth following almost without a break through 6 October. UEFA has scheduled the third round from 30 September to 3 October, and the fourth from 4 to 6 October. In Group A3, this means that after Czechia–Croatia and England–Spain on 26 September come Czechia–England and Spain–Croatia on 29 September, followed by Croatia–England and Spain–Czechia on 3 October, and Croatia–Spain and England–Czechia on 6 October. After that, group competition pauses for more than a month. The final two rounds are played on 12 and 15 November for all four A3 national teams.
Such a schedule structure allows the shape of the group to develop very quickly, while also giving the teams time to prepare for the finale in November after the October block. Croatia will first visit England at Wembley in that final segment and then host Czechia in Osijek. Spain will visit Czechia on 12 November and host England in Madrid three days later, according to the national associations' schedules. Because the top two national teams advance to the quarter-finals, it is possible that the final weekend of the league phase will decide qualification. UEFA lists 17 November as the final day of the league phase for the competition as a whole, although Group A3 concludes two days earlier.
Nations League 2026/27 provides an important route toward spring 2027
The UEFA Nations League is no longer merely a replacement for friendly matches. Results determine qualification for the quarter-finals, survival or relegation between leagues, and UEFA has also announced that the 2026/27 edition is expected to be linked to qualification for EURO 2028, with results potentially giving some national teams an additional opportunity to enter the play-offs for the final tournament. The detailed application of that qualification pathway will depend on the rules of the European qualifiers, so official announcements issued later will need to be followed for the final scenarios. Even now, however, it is clear that every place in the group has competitive value beyond the autumn schedule itself.
For Group A3, the competition begins on 26 September, two days after the official opening of the tournament as a whole. Czechia–Croatia in Prague and England–Spain at Wembley begin a series in which all four national teams will play four matches each by 6 October. Croatia will pass through Prague, Seville, Rijeka and Split during that period before November meetings with England and Czechia. The schedule, confirmed stadiums and special restrictions for the Croatia–England match make checking official sources particularly important for supporters planning travel. From a competitive perspective, the top two places lead to the quarter-finals, while under the new promotion and relegation model the positions below them also carry significance.
Sources:
- UEFA – official UEFA Nations League 2026/27 league-phase schedule, round dates and Group A3 match kick-off times (link)
- UEFA – official overview of the format, groups, quarter-finals, final tournament and new promotion and relegation system for 2026/27 (link)
- UEFA – overview of Croatia's matches in Group A3 and confirmation of the order of the six fixtures (link)
- UEFA – overview of the new head coaches in League A, including Slaven Bilić and Santi Denia (link)
- Fotbal.cz / Czech Football Association – confirmed stadiums for Czechia's Nations League matches, including Prague and Osijek (link)
- Fotbal.cz / Czech Football Association – information about the start of ticket sales for Czechia's home matches through the Fotbal+ application (link)
- RFEF – Spain's official calendar confirming the stadiums for the matches against Croatia and Czechia and the away match in Split (link)
- RFEF – information about ticket sales for the Spain–Croatia match in Seville (link)
- England Football – England's official schedule confirming Wembley, Prague and Stadion HNK Rijeka (link)
- England Football – special update about the Croatia–England match behind closed doors and the exceptional allocation of 100 tickets for England Supporters Travel Club members (link)