UEFA Nations League Matchday 1 preview: England vs Spain, Netherlands vs Germany among marquee matches

Player spotlight

Netherlands striker Brian Brobbey scored a hat-trick in Sunderland's defeat at Manchester City on Sunday. Among those hoping to win first senior caps are Ruben van Bommel, Gjivai Zechiël and Mexx Meerdink.

Germany forward Younes Ebnoutalib earns a first senior call-up after his bright start to the season, including a hat-trick in Eintracht Frankfurt's league opener. Teenage Bayern München creator Lennart Karl can add to the three friendly appearances he made earlier this year.

Memorable match: West Germany 1-2 Netherlands (UEFA EURO 1988 semi-final, 21/06/1988)
Marco van Basten's 88th-minute winner inspired Netherlands to their first-ever European Championship final after Ronald Koeman had answered Lothar Matthäus' opener.

The backdrop

• Xavi Hernández and Jürgen Klopp take charge of their first matches as Netherlands and Germany head coaches.
• Germany and Netherlands met in Group A3 during the previous edition, drawing 2-2 in Amsterdam before a 1-0 Germany win in Munich.
• Two-time Nations League semi-finalists Netherlands were eliminated at the quarter-final stage in 2024/25 while Germany reached the semi-finals for the first time.

Player spotlight

Dušan Tadić returns to the Serbia national team. The last of the 37-year-old midfielder's 137 appearances came at EURO 2024. Crvena Zvezda midfielder Vasilije Kostov, 18, and 19-year-old Anderlecht forward Mihajlo Cvetković are young talents to watch.

Brighton forward Charalampos Kostoulas has four goal involvements in his last two Premier League appearances. Winger Christos Tzolis has started all five league matches for new club Arsenal.

Previous encounter: Greece 0-2 Serbia (18/11/2014)
Serbia won the most recent meeting between these nations, Radosav Petrović and Nemanja Gudelj on target in Piraeus.

The backdrop

• Greece begin their first League A campaign.
• Serbia finished third in Group A4 during the previous edition, beating Austria in the resulting promotion/relegation play-off.
• Group B2 runners-up Greece were also involved in the play-offs, overcoming Scotland despite a first-leg defeat.

Player spotlight

Norway captain Martin Ødegaard's four assists at the summer's World Cup was good for joint-second place and the 27-year-old has carried on that impressive form with Arsenal. His creative faculties can help Erling Haaland add to his record tally of 19 Nations League goals.

Morten Hjulmand can add to his 27 Denmark appearances after settling in at new club Atleti. Mads Bidstrup, Viktor Bak, Thomas Jørgensen and Andreas Jungdal are in contention for senior international debuts.

Previous encounter: Denmark 2-0 Norway (EURO 2012 qualifying, 06/09/2011)
These nations frequently contest friendlies, but their last competitive meeting came 15 years ago. Nicklas Bendtner's first-half double inspired Denmark to victory. 

The backdrop

• Norway were promoted to League A after winning Group B3 in 2024/25. Erling Haaland scored seven goals in that campaign and ranks as the all-time UEFA Nations League top scorer with 19.
• Denmark reached the quarter-finals after finishing second behind Spain in Group A4, losing out to eventual winners Portugal in a dramatic last-eight tie.
• Norway recorded their best-ever FIFA World Cup finish by reaching the quarter-finals in the summer.

Player spotlight

Portugal left-back and 2024/25 Player of the Finals Nuno Mendes aims for another strong campaign while Cristiano Ronaldo has the opportunity to add to his all-time record totals of men's international goals and appearances.

Creative hub Harry Wilson returns to the Wales squad after missing June's friendlies through injury. Cardiff City forward Cian Ashford revels in a first senior call-up and celebrates his 22nd birthday when Wales meet Portugal.

Memorable match: Portugal 2-0 Wales (EURO 2016 semi-finals, 06/06/2016)
Wales' fairytale run in France came to an end as goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani sent Portugal through to their second major final.

The backdrop

• Holders Portugal begin their title defence in Lisbon. In 2025, they became the first two-time winners of this competition.
• Wales won promotion to League A in the 2024/25 Nations League. Winless in their only previous League A campaign in 2022/23, they are aiming for a first victory in Group A4.
• The EURO 2016 meeting between Portugal and Wales is their only previous competitive meeting.

Player spotlight

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nicolò Barella, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Alessandro Bastoni were also part of the Roberto Mancini squad that triumphed at EURO 2020. Young Inter forward Pio Esposito has scored five goals in nine Italy appearances.

Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia can make his second Belgium appearance, his first coming back in March 2023. Mika Godts was the second-highest scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie last term and completed a summer transfer to Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain.

Memorable match: Italy 2-2 Belgium (Nations League, 10/10/2024)
These sides produced a thriller when they met in the league phase of the previous edition, goals from Maxim De Cuyper and Leandro Trossard bringing Belgium back from 2-0 down.

The backdrop

• Roberto Mancini begins his second spell with Italy and Mark van Bommel debuts as Belgium head coach.
• Italy reached the quarter-finals of the previous edition, losing 5-4 on aggregate against Germany.
• Belgium recovered a two-goal deficit against Ukraine to preserve their League A status in March's promotion/relegation play-offs.

Player spotlight

Türkiye's Arda Güler has three assists and one goal in six league appearances for Real Madrid this term. Fenerbahçe forward Kerem Aktürkoğlu was one of seven players to score a hat-trick in the 2024/25 Nations League.

Ousmane Dembélé had four goal involvements in Paris' opening win in the Champions League; Michael Olise three as Bayern München beat Bodø/Glimt. France captain Kylian Mbappé opened his account against Inter after finishing as top scorer last season.

Memorable match:  Türkiye 2-0 France (EURO 2020 qualifier, 08/07/2019)
Türkiye emerged victorious when they last hosted France, goals from Kaan Ayhan and Cengiz Ünder sending them to a home victory.

The backdrop

• Zinédine Zidane makes his debut as France coach. Zidane twice played Türkiye in his playing days and celebrated two 4-0 wins.
• Türkiye earned promotion to League A via an impressive play-off victory against Hungary.
• France finished third in the previous edition, winning the third-place match against Germany after falling to Spain in a 5-4 semi-final epic.

Player spotlight

Santi Denia's first squad includes three newcomers: Roman Macek (Sparta Praha), Matěj Radosta (Teplice) and Lukáš Ambros (Anderlecht). Of Ambros, the head coach says: "He's so multi-functional, he can play in several positions."

Como midfielder Martin Baturina was named Player of the Match in the Italian side's Champions League debut – a 4-1 win over Leipzig. Luka Modrić made 50 appearances during Slaven Bilić's first spell in charge.

Memorable match: Czechia 2-2 Croatia (EURO 2016, 17/06/2016)
Czechia's chances of taking anything from this Group D meeting seemed slim after 75 minutes, but substitutes Milan Škoda and Tomáš Necid inspired them to a draw.

The backdrop

• Santi Denia and Slaven Bilić take charge of their first matches after their summer appointments. Bilić also served as Croatia's head coach between 2006 and 2012.
• These sides also met during the European Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, Croatia winning 5-1 at home before a goalless draw in Prague.
• The 2023 runners-up Croatia reached the quarter-finals in the previous edition, suffering a dramatic loss against France. Czechia won Group B1 to earn promotion to League A.

Player spotlight

England captain Harry Kane became the fastest player to 100 German Bundesliga goals on Friday while Jude Bellingham has started strongly under new Real Madrid coach José Mourinho, producing three goals and three assists in seven league appearances.

Spain's Ferran Torres scored a hat-trick in his first Champions League appearance for Paris Saint-Germain. New club-mate Fabián Ruiz is unbeaten across his 50 Spain appearances (W35 D15, excludes penalty shoot-outs).

Memorable match: Spain 2-1 England (EURO 2024 final, 14/07/2024)
Spain won a record-breaking fourth EURO thanks to Mikel Oyarzabal's late winner in Berlin. England had answered Nico Williams' opener through Cole Palmer midway through the second half.

The backdrop

• This pair have met ten times since the turn of the millennium. Spain lead the head-to-head with six wins to England's three.
• England return to League A after winning Group B2 in the previous edition.
• Spain were defeated finalists in 2025, losing a penalty shoot-out against Portugal in Munich.