2025 UEFA Women's Nations League Matchday 6: Spain and Sweden complete finals line-up

UEFA Women's Nations League holders Spain and Sweden both won to join France and Germany in the finals later this year as the groups ended on Tuesday.

England could have pipped Spain to the finals had the Lionesses won in Barcelona but the world champions came from behind for a 2-1 victory. Sweden also only required a draw with Denmark but a hat-trick from UEFA Women's Champions League final match winner Stina Blackstenius earned a 6-1 triumph for the home side in Solna.

France completed a perfect six-game campaign in their group by winning 2-0 in Iceland while Germany, who had qualified on Friday by beating the Netherlands, strolled to a 6-0 success in Austria. Also settled in League A were relegation issues, with defeats for Portugal and Switzerland meaning they will go into League B, with Scotland and Wales previously having been confirmed fourth in their groups.

Slovenia and Serbia, meanwhile, got the results they both needed to be promoted to League A for the first time with Poland and Ukraine, who won their groups on Friday. Also celebrating topping their League C sections to earn promotion were Latvia, Luxembourg and Malta.

Meanwhile, more teams were confirmed in promotion and relegation matches to establish their own starting league positions in the Women's European Qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, running through 2026. Draws for the finals and those promotion-relegation play-offs are on Friday.

League A

Group A1 

Austria 0-6 Germany
Germany surged to a 4-0 win against the Netherlands on Friday to reach the finals but they did not slow down today, scoring in the first minute when Sydney Lohmann turned in Selina Cerci's cross. Then on nine minutes, Klara Bühl jinked into the Austria box and although her shot was parried by Mariella El Sherif, the hosts' debutante keeper, Lea Schüller pounced on the rebound for her League A joint-leading fifth goal in the group.

Cerci got the third after a cross by Bühl, who got on the scoresheet herself with a strike through a crowd of bodies in the box, and it was six before half-time with Lohmann lobbing El Sherif from distance and then Laura Freigang scoring at the second attempt after the Austria keeper parried her initial effort. Austria had already avoided automatic relegation on Friday by beating Scotland (the only other League A team not involved at UEFA Women's EURO 2025 next month).

Germany finished the group in styleGetty Images

Netherlands 1-1 Scotland
Scotland were relegated by that loss to Austria but ensured they finally got off the mark in the group tonight in their second game under Melissa Andreatta.

Jill Roord put the Netherlands ahead on ten minutes, from close range and at the third attempt following Daniëlle van de Donk's centre. Scotland equalised in the 27th minute, Kathleen McGovern volleying home Emma Lawton's cross for her first international goal.

Group A2

Iceland 0-2 France 
The 2023/24 runners-up France booked their finals place on Matchday 4, and finished ten points clear of Norway after sealing a sixth perfect win in the group, the first time that has been managed in League A under the current UEFA women's national team competition system. Iceland's loss means they enter a relegation play-off in third place.

France took the lead in the 74th minute, Melvine Malard crossing for Sandy Baltimore, who beat Cecilía Rúnarsdóttir at the second attempt for her League A joint-leading fifth goal in the group. Substitute Grace Geyoro was sent clear late on to confirm victory for France, who also had the best League A record in the inaugural edition.

Switzerland 0-1 Norway
Norway claimed the victory they required to preserve their League A status and the goal arrived after just four minutes in Sion, where they will return on 6 July to face Finland at Women's EURO. Guro Reiten set up Vilde Bøe Risa for a powerful finish from the edge of the area.

Switzerland, who will open their home Women's EURO campaign against the Norwegians in Basel in 29 days' time, are relegated to League B.

Group A3

Spain 2-1 England
Spain will have a chance to defend their title this autumn after coming from behind to beat the European champions in Barcelona. England overcame Spain at Wembley in February and needed another win today to reach the finals, but were under pressure early on as Esther González forced a save from Hannah Hampton. Yet on 22 minutes England went ahead as Niamh Charles played through Alessia Russo to strike on her 50th cap.

The holders kept up the pressure but could find no way through until UEFA Women's Champions League top scorer Clàudia Pina was introduced just before the hour; within two minutes she had worked herself space in the box and beat Hampton with a diagonal shot. Ten minutes later Pina had another with a swerving effort from outside the area after Ona Batlle won the ball inside the England half.

Portugal 0-3 Belgium 
Belgium secured the win they required to avoid automatic relegation and send Portugal to League B. The Red Flames broke the deadlock late in the first half as Jill Janssens' centre was cut out by a defender, only for the ball to fall into the path of Justine Vanhaevermaet who produced a low finish.

Tessa Wullaert converted the second from the penalty spot in the 67th minute after Carolina Correia, making her first start four days after her Portugal debut, brought down Jarne Teulings. And five minutes later Wullaert scored her League A joint-leading fifth goal in the group, with an outrageous lob from distance.

Group A4 

Sweden 6-1 Denmark 
Sweden surged to the finals as a Stina Blackstenius hat-trick gave them victory in a game where a draw would have been enough to pip Denmark to first place. They led within 40 seconds as Kosovare Asllani won the ball and fed Fridolina Rolfö to set up Blackstenius. It was 2-0 on five minutes, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd cutting out a defensive pass, entering the box and beating the advancing Maja Bay Østergaard. Filippa Angeldahl made it three in the 11th minute, making a surging run and then, after having the ball returned to her by Blackstenius, striking low first time from outside the area

Rolfö limped off midway through the first half, a concern for Sweden who begin their Women's EURO campaign against Denmark on 4 July, and before half-time Janni Thomsen pulled one back from Signe Bruun's assist – only for Blackstenius to swiftly respond, looping the ball past Østergaard after Rytting Kaneryd's pass. Blackstenius completed her hat-trick early in the second half after being found at the far post by Rolfö's replacement Madelen Janogy and substitute Lina Hurtig rounded off the scoring with a cool finish from just outside the box.

Italy beat Wales to finish secondGetty Images

Wales 1-4 Italy
Italy wrapped up the victory they needed to ensure second place and no relegation play-off, with Wales having already had their demotion confirmed on Friday. Elena Linari handed Italy a ninth-minute lead with a twisting volley after a Manuela Giugliano corner was not cleared. Cristiana Girelli doubled the visitors' advantage on 21 minutes, heading in Giugliano's free-kick.

Late in the first half two more similar goals followed; Sofia Cantore rose to nod home Angelica Soffia's deflected cross, then Girelli got her head to another Giugliano corner. Just before the interval injured Wales goalkeeper Olivia Clark was replaced by Safia Middleton-Patel, but late on Jess Fishlock came off the bench and gave the home fans in Swansea something to cheer for their EURO-bound side with a superb long-range finish.

League B

Group B1

Poland sealed their promotion back to League A on Friday and the Women's EURO contenders delighted a record 10,685 crowd in Gdansk with a victory that relegated Romania, for whom Florentina Olar made her 201st and final appearance. Bosnia and Herzegovina are also down after being held by Northern Ireland, who sealed a promotion play-off.

Tuesday's results
Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 Northern Ireland 
Poland 3-0 Romania 

Group B2

Slovenia are into League A for the first time as the Republic of Ireland were unable to beat them by enough to overturn the head-to-head deficit following their 4-0 loss in the reverse fixture. Türkiye's win earns them the second chance of a relegation play-off.

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

Group B3

Serbia also rubber-stamped promotion to League A for the first time thanks to an equaliser six minutes from time against Women's EURO-bound Finland. Hungary and Belarus' draw means both are relegated.

Tuesday's results
Finland 1-1 Serbia 
Hungary 0-0 Belarus 

Group B4

Ukraine were already promoted ahead of Czechia before today, while despite defeat Albania avoided automatic relegation, a fate to which Croatia were condemned before getting their first points.

Tuesday's results
Albania 1-2 Czechia 
Croatia 2-0 Ukraine 

League C

Group C1

Slovakia were the only side other than France to finish on 18 points, with their victory ending the Faroe Islands' own hopes of promotion.

Faroe Islands 1-2 Slovakia 
Gibraltar 0-4 Moldova 

Group C2

Malta had assured themselves of promotion on Friday but Cyprus made certain of a play-off as one of the two best runners-up with their win in Georgia.

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

Group C3

Kazakhstan could have pipped their visitors to promotion and despite being reduced to ten players on six minutes led at half-time, but Luxembourg fought back to earn a League B debut. Liechtenstein got their first point in their maiden senior campaign and were only denied victory by an 89th-minute Armenia equaliser.

Tuesday's results
Kazakhstan 1-3 Luxembourg 
Liechtenstein 2-2 Armenia 

Group C4

Lithuania might have leapt from third to first with victory but instead Montenegro confirmed promotion with a win.

Tuesday's result
Lithuania 0-1 Montenegro 

Group C5

Israel had already won this group while Estonia's added-time victory earned them second place but no promotion play-off.

Tuesday's result
Bulgaria 0-1 Estonia 

Group C6

Latvia collected the point they needed for promotion, while Kosovo were confirmed as one of the two best runners-up in the play-offs. 

Tuesday's result
Latvia 2-2 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.