2025 UEFA Women's Nations League Matchday 5: Germany reach finals, Spain and England set up decider

Germany joined France in making sure of their UEFA Women's Nations League finals slot after the penultimate set of group games on Friday.

The 2023/24 runners-up France sealed first place in Group A2 on Matchday 4, and inaugural bronze-medallists Germany have now ensured a finals return after beating Netherlands 4-0. Holders Spain beat Belgium 5-1 and now face a decider at home to England, who defeated Portugal 6-0 in Group A3.

Group A4 remains tight after leaders Sweden drew 0-0 in Italy. Denmark won 1-0 against Wales and are now level with Tuesday hosts Sweden, with Italy two points behind. Wales, like Scotland in Group A1, are relegated ahead of Women's European Qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Poland, one of two UEFA Women's EURO 2025 finals contenders in League B, sealed promotion to the top flight, as did Ukraine. Serbia dramatically beat Hungary but must still wait for promotion after EURO contenders Finland also won, while Slovenia remain perfect in their group but the Republic of Ireland's comeback victory in Türkiye means they too are still in contention for first place. Israel, Malta and Slovakia all made certain of promotion from Group C.

The four League A group winners qualify for the finals in the autumn. The group standings also determine the teams contesting promotion and relegation matches to establish their starting league position in the Women's European Qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, running through 2026.

League A

Group A1 

Germany 4-0 Netherlands 
Having drawn their Matchday 1 encounter, these sides won their next three games and knew the victors in Bremen would book a return to the finals. Germany, backed by a 32,398 crowd in their first-ever game at Weserstadion, went ahead inside nine minutes after a Klara Bühl corner was only half-cleared. The ball was played back in and Janina Minge set up Linda Dallmann to strike.

The home side kept up the pressure and Lea Schüller made it 2-0 with her 50th Germany goal as she turned in Jule Brand's low cross. It was three before half-time as Germany broke quickly and Minge set Sarai Linder free to score. Schüller headed in Giulia Gwinn's cross just after half-time for the fourth, and after Carlotta Wamser came on for a senior debut, Germany (who beat Netherlands for bronze in the inaugural 2023/24 edition) were able to celebrate their finals return.

Scotland 0-1 Austria
Austria ensured third place, and a chance to play off with a League B runner-up for top-flight status, as Scotland suffered a defeat that confirmed their own relegation. Melissa Andreatta took charge of Scotland for the first time at Hampden Park in a game her side needed to win by two goals to keep their hopes of staying up alive but Austria had the better of the first half.

Scotland brought on Rachel Corsie for her last home appearance before retirement, but just past the hour Julia Hickelsberger rose high to head in Annabel Schasching's corner and that proved enough to settle the game and confirm third place for the visitors.

Tuesday's fixtures
Austria vs Germany 
Netherlands vs Scotland

Group A2

France 4-0 Switzerland
France sealed first place on Matchday 4 and victory against the EURO 2025 hosts in Nancy took them ten points clear. Clara Matéo pounced for an early opener before Elisa De Almeida met a Selma Bacha corner with a ferocious volley.

Kadidatou Diani then set up Sandy Baltimore for the third in 19 minutes. France maintained their dominance and a fine team move led to Grace Geyoro making it 4-0 after the break.

Norway 1-1 Iceland
Norway hold on to second place after a draw with one of their Women's EURO group opponents. Iceland went ahead in the 16th minute when Sveindís Jónsdóttir was played in down the left, worked herself space in the box and beat Cecilie Fiskerstrand at her near post.

There were chances at both ends but with seven minutes left, Norway were level as Elisabeth Terland's centre was turned into her own net by Glódís Viggósdóttir with Ada Hegerberg lurking to finish.

Tuesday's fixtures
Iceland vs France 
Switzerland vs Norway

Group A3

Belgium 1-5 Spain
Holders Spain remain two points ahead of England ahead of their Tuesday decider in Barcelona following this victory. While Spain began with seven Barcelona players fresh from Saturday's UEFA Women's Champions League final defeat by Arsenal, two individuals who celebrated continental titles that night combined for the opener as the Gunners' Mariona Caldentey sent in a centre turned in by Esther González, who got Gotham FC's winner in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup decider against Tigres UNAL.

Esther hit the inside of the post early in the second half but she did have a second not long past the hour after being set up in the box by newly-introduced substitute Athenea del Castillo with some neat control. Athenea herself then scored twice in quick succession before fellow sub Alba Redondo made it five. Tine De Caigny got a late consolation for Belgium, who attracted their record home crowd having still been in contention thanks to April's defeat of England.

Aggie Beever-Jones got a Wembley hat-trick for EnglandGetty Images

England 6-0 Portugal
In front of close to 50,000 fans at Wembley, England, missing Alessia Russo and Ella Toone, started with Aggie Beever-Jones as central forward, and she got a first-half hat-trick in a dominant win. She struck in the third minute, working herself space to shoot after the Portugal defence lost the ball. Two minutes later, fit-again Lauren Hemp's cross was touched on by Beever-Jones and Beth Mead for Lucy Bronze to double the lead.

Beever-Jones got the third in the 26th minute as she nodded in a looping Bronze cross. Again another goal followed quickly, Mead with some nifty footwork before a finish following Jess Park's pass. And Beever-Jones completed her hat-trick in the 33rd minute as she ran on to Leah Williamson's pass and swerved in a shot. Substitute Chloe Kelly got the sixth in the 62nd minute after Mead's cross, but Portugal remain a point in front of their fourth-placed Tuesday visitors Belgium.

Tuesday's fixtures
Portugal vs Belgium 
Spain vs England

Group A4 

Italy 0-0 Sweden
Sweden remain top going into Tuesday's decider at home to Denmark after a hard-earned point in Parma. Sweden, who started with 18-year-old debutants Smilla Holmberg and Felicia Schröder, were under pressure for much of the first half.

Just before the break, Rebecka Blomqvist was sent clear only for Laura Giuliani to deny her one-on-one. Midway through the second half, Arianna Caruso looped the ball on to the crossbar, however neither side was able to force a breakthrough.

Denmark 1-0 Wales 
Denmark moved level on points with Sweden but were made to work for a victory that confirms Wales's relegation to League B. There was an early blow for the visitors, with their EURO finals debut looming, when 18-year-old defender Mayzee Davies was forced off injured.

Pernille Harder, who scored a hat-trick at home to Wales in the 2023/24 Women's Nations League, hit the bar in the seventh minute as Denmark piled on the pressure though the visitors nearly led when Jess Fishlock's effort was cleared off the line by the sliding Stine Ballisager. Two minutes into the second half, Denmark did make a breakthrough with a marvellous Harder solo goal proving the winner as she made a diagonal run past several defenders and finally beat Olivia Clark.

Tuesday's fixtures
Sweden vs Denmark 
Wales vs Italy

League B

Group B1

Ewa Pajor scored twice in the first nine minutes of her 100th Poland appearance to help her side to a victory in Northern Ireland that sealed promotion. Florentina Olar, becoming the ninth European to reach 200 caps, struck on her home Romania farewell in a 2-0 win that moved her team level on points with third-placed Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ewa Pajor scored twice on her 100th Poland appearance to help them to promotionGetty Images

Friday's results
Northern Ireland 0-4 Poland 
Romania 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina 

Tuesday's fixtures
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Northern Ireland 
Poland vs Romania 

Group B2

Slovenia made it five wins out of five but two late goals for the Republic of Ireland in Türkiye mean promotion is not yet settled. Ireland, who lost 4-0 in Slovenia, host the leaders on Tuesday.

Friday's results
Slovenia 2-0 Greece 
Türkiye 1-2 Republic of Ireland 

Tuesday's fixtures
Greece vs Türkiye 
Republic of Ireland vs Slovenia 

Group B3

Ten-player Serbia beat Hungary 1-0 with a last-gasp Allegra Poljak goal to stay three points clear of their Tuesday hosts Finland, for whom Linda Sällström scored twice after coming off the bench for her 150th cap.

Friday's results
Belarus 0-3 Finland 
Serbia 1-0 Hungary 

Tuesday's fixtures
Finland vs Serbia 
Hungary vs Belarus 

Group B4

Ukraine will play in League A for the first time after coming from behind to beat Albania 2-1. Czechia must settle for second place despite defeating relegated Croatia 5-0.

Friday's results
Czechia 5-0 Croatia 
Ukraine 2-1 Albania 

Tuesday's fixtures
Albania vs Czechia 
Croatia vs Ukraine 

League C

Group C1

Slovakia sealed promotion in front of a record crowd with their victory against Gibraltar as the Faroe Islands were held in Moldova.

Friday's results
Moldova 1-1 Faroe Islands 
Slovakia 11-0 Gibraltar 

Tuesday's fixtures
Faroe Islands vs Slovakia 
Gibraltar vs Moldova 

Group C2

Malta's victory against Cyprus made certain of promotion in front of their record crowd.

Friday's results
Andorra 1-2 Georgia 
Malta 1-0 Cyprus 

Tuesday's fixtures
Andorra vs Malta 
Georgia vs Cyprus 

Group C3

Luxembourg still need to avoid defeat in Kazakhstan to finish first after both won on Friday.

Friday's results
Kazakhstan 4-0 Liechtenstein 
Luxembourg 2-0 Armenia 

Tuesday's fixtures
Kazakhstan vs Luxembourg 
Liechtenstein vs Armenia 

Group C4

Lithuania kept their hopes of finishing first alive, and ended the top-spot ambitions of Azerbaijan, with a victory that leaves them within two points of Tuesday's visitors Montenegro.

Friday's result
Azerbaijan 0-5 Lithuania 

Tuesday's fixture
Lithuania vs Montenegro 

Group C5

Israel got the win they needed to confirm their promotion.

Friday's result
Estonia 0-3 Israel 

Tuesday's fixture
Bulgaria vs Estonia 

Group C6

Latvia drew with North Macedonia to open up a one-point lead over Kosovo ahead of their Tuesday decider.

Friday's result
Latvia 1-1 North Macedonia 

Tuesday's fixture
Latvia vs Kosovo

Who plays in the UEFA Women's Nations League finals?

The four League A group winners qualify for the knockout finals.

How do the UEFA Women's Nations League finals work?

In a change from the first edition, all the ties will be played over two legs. As previously, there will be two semi-finals, a third-place play-off and a final. A draw will determine the ties and the home team in each of the first legs.

The final winners are declared the UEFA Nations League winners.

Who is promoted or relegated or goes into play-offs?

League A

The top two teams in each group remain in League A for the European Qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup.

The four third-placed teams play off over two legs against the second-placed teams in each group of League B. The winners of each tie will play in League A for the European Qualifiers phase; the defeated teams will play in League B.

The fourth-placed teams are relegated to League B.

League B

The four group winners are promoted to League A.

The four second-placed teams play off over two legs against the third-placed teams in League A. The winners of each tie will play in League A; the defeated teams will play in League B.

The two best third-placed teams play off over two legs against the two best-ranked second-placed teams of League C. The winners will play in League B for the European Qualifiers phase; the defeated teams will play in League C.

The two lowest-ranked third-placed teams and the four fourth-placed teams are relegated to League C.

League C

The six group winners are promoted to League B.

The two best-ranked second-placed teams play off over two legs against the two best third-placed teams of League B. The winners will play in League B for the European Qualifiers phase; the defeated teams will play in League C.

The remaining teams stay in League C.