Europe’s club calendar has paused, but the international picture has sharpened decisively: Portugal and Spain are already through to the Nations League quarter-finals after four rounds, while several of the continent’s leading sides face defining fixtures when the group phase resumes in November.
Key takeaways
- Portugal and Spain are the only teams in League A to have secured quarter-final places so far.
- Spain’s win in Split against Croatia completed a four-from-four international window and put them firmly atop Group 3.
- The final two matchdays will be played between 12 and 17 November.
- League A’s top two in every group advance, while relegation and play-off places remain at stake for those below them.
- The quarter-finals are scheduled for 25 and 30 March 2027, with the Final Four set for 9-13 June 2027.
The race for the last eight
Spain have made the clearest statement of the window. Their victory over Croatia in Split left them as unchallenged leaders of Group 3 and confirmed their place in the knockout round. England remain the only side capable of challenging for first place: Spain will finish top if they beat Czechia in the next round and England fail to take all three points.
Croatia are third and have no realistic route into the quarter-finals, while pointless Czechia still have a chance to avoid the lower-end consequences of the group.
In Group 1, France lead the way, although Italy remain close enough to contest first place and Belgium have not yet been eliminated from the quarter-final chase. Turkey have effectively lost their opportunity to go through and need an extraordinary finish even to reach third, with avoiding the relegation play-off now their more immediate concern.
The tightest section is the group containing the Netherlands, Greece, Germany and Serbia. The Dutch and Greece are level on eight points, while Germany, on five, retain possibilities ranging from qualification to finishing first. Serbia have yet to register a point and are fighting to stay in League A.
Portugal have also locked down a place in the last eight, though first place in Group 4 is not mathematically settled. Denmark are the sole team who can still catch them, but would need Portugal to suffer a major collapse over the remaining matches. Wales and Norway enter the final two games with every outcome still open: quarter-final qualification, a survival play-off or direct relegation.
What remains at stake in November
The format gives the final international week consequences familiar to any European knockout campaign. The first two teams in each League A group reach the quarter-finals, the route towards the Final Four. Of the remaining sides, the two weakest third-placed teams and the two strongest fourth-placed teams enter relegation play-offs. The other two teams finishing bottom go down automatically.
That leaves November as a crucial bridge between the group stage and spring’s two-legged quarter-finals. The draw will follow the completion of the final fixtures, before the last eight meet on 25 and 30 March 2027. The four surviving teams will then contest the Final Four from 9 to 13 June 2027.
