Croatia, England and Czech Republic: Spain’s first hurdles in the bid to reclaim the Nations League

The Spanish delegation in the Belgian capital, led by RFEF president Rafael Louzán and head coach Luis de la Fuente, learned first-hand who La Roja’s first three opponents will be in the fifth edition of the competition: Croatia national football team, England national football team and the Czech Republic national football team.

Spain were one of the four top seeds in League A—alongside Portugal, France and Germany—and will attempt to reclaim a trophy they lifted in 2023 in Rotterdam against Croatia. La Roja are also the only team to have reached three of the four Nations League finals played so far.

Unbeaten in the previous edition, Spain—currently top of the FIFA rankings—will play their six group-stage matches between September and November 2026. Matchdays 1 to 4 will take place from 24 September to 6 October, with the final two fixtures scheduled between 12 and 17 November.

The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarter-finals, to be played from 25 to 30 March 2027. Third-placed teams will contest a relegation play-off, while the bottom side in each League A group will drop to League B. The Final Four is set for 9 to 13 June 2027.

In the last edition of the UEFA Nations League, Spain reached the final at Munich’s Allianz Arena without losing a single match. After a 2–2 draw against Portugal, they were ultimately defeated in a penalty shootout.