UEFA Nations League Predictions & Betting tips
Find our free Nations League prediction, as well as our expert predictions on the UEFA Nations League football matches (2026-27). Lots of information for your sports betting!
UEFA Nations League Presentation - Football
The UEFA Nations League is a relatively recent European competition, devised by UEFA in 2018 and involving all 54 national teams on the continent. The competition takes place every two years, during the seasons when no major tournament (World Cup or Euros) is being played.
Reigning champions Portugal, who beat Spain on penalties in a thrilling 2025 final, will be looking to become the first side to win the trophy three times when the new edition gets underway in September 2026. It's a competition that you'll have to follow for your football predictions!
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Who will win the Nations League 2026-2027?
The 2026-27 Nations League promises to be fiercely contested, with nations such Spain, France, England, Germany and reigning champions Portugal among the main contenders. For us, it's difficult to look past Luis de la Fuente's Spanish side. La Roja were simply marvellous during the 2026 World Cup, as they successfully won the coveted tournament for the first time since 2010 and became European and World champions. Apart from those two tournaments, Spain have also had success in this tournament in particular, as they won the Nations League in 2023.
It's exactly this high floor and seemingly limitless ceiling that make Spain such a juggernaut in these major international tournaments. And we're expecting this level of sustained dominance to continue into the future, as Spain boast a star-studded team with some of the best young players in the world, Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Pau Cubarsi and Pedri among them.
France remain the most obvious danger given the incredible individual talent at their disposal, led by the World Cup record top goalscorer Kylian Mbappe. However, Les Bleus will be in transition following Didier Deschamps' departure after 14 years in charge, compared to Spain who have arguably the best continuity in international football at the moment. Therefore, Spain get the nod.
Our 2026-27 UEFA Nations League prediction: Spain champions!
Our prediction for the 2026-2027 Nations League groups
Divided into a total of four divisions, the 54 European teams have been classified by level into different groups.
Nations League - League A
Sixteen of Europe's top nations feature in League A.
Divided into four groups of four, they will battle it out to finish in the top two places and reach the quarter-finals before looking ahead to the Final Four in a bid to win the 2026-27 Nations League title.
The third-placed team in each group will play off for survival, while the last-placed team will be automatically relegated. A competition full of suspense awaits us, with many clashes on the programme! Discover the composition of the groups below.
Group 1 - France, Belgium, Italy, Türkiye
France remain the clear favourites here on individual talent alone, even entering a new era following Didier Deschamps' departure. Les Bleus have arguably the most frightening attacking corps in the world with Mbappé, Dembélé, Doué and Olise. Not to mention other talents such as Barcola, Cherki and Akliouche.
Second place is a tough one to call. Italy remain stuck in a bizarre cycle, somehow managing to miss a third consecutive World Cup, despite still being capable of winning major honours, as their Euro 2020 title proves. Their recent Nations League form has been shaky too, having lost to Germany on penalties in last year's quarter-finals. Türkiye arrive with real individual talent in Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Kenan Yıldız and Arda Güler, but are still reeling from a shock group-stage exit at the World Cup. That leaves Belgium, a side caught between generations, but we think they have enough underlying quality to edge out their two shakier rivals.
Our prediction: France and Belgium to qualify from Group 1!
Group 2 - Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Greece
Germany and the Netherlands should come through this group unscathed, and we lean towards the Germans to be the ones to ultimately progress as group winners. Both nations endured disappointing World Cups, exiting in the Round of 32 on penalties: Germany in a shock defeat to Paraguay, while the Netherlands lost to Morocco. This is despite the Dutch climbing as high as 7th in the world rankings during a strong group-stage run.
We believe Germany is better set up in terms of squad depth and recent form following their World Cup exit. Serbia and Greece, meanwhile, look to be a clear level below. Both nations missed out on the World Cup entirely, and there's little in their recent form to suggest either is ready to trouble the group's two heavyweights.
Our prediction: Germany and Netherlands to qualify from Group 2!
Group 3 - Spain, England, Croatia, Czechia
A fantastic couple of fixtures await in Group A3 with Spain facing off against England as the marquee matchup. If the Three Lions had made it past Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals, it would have set up a mammoth showdown against Spain in the final, so there will be plenty of football fans curious to see how this will play out.
As for our predictions, we believe reigning World and European champions Spain will top the group, while England are set up well to really challenge them and should achieve at least second. Thomas Tuchel's side beat France 6-4 to finish third in the 2026 World Cup, the team's best finish since 1966, and they're chock full of talent. Croatia continue to punch above their weight, but they're not quite the force they were when they made their Cinderella run to the World Cup final in 2018.
Our prediction: Spain and England to qualify from Group 3!
Group 4 - Denmark, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland
Reigning Nations League champions Portugal and a rampant Norway side are our picks to advance from this group. Portugal reached the World Cup quarter-finals, beating Croatia along the way before falling to eventual champions Spain.
It's hard to ignore Norway at this point, and they should join Portugal as the second-place team. They were one of the true dark horses of the 2026 World Cup, inspired by the play of Erling Haaland and Martin Ødegaard, who were both fantastic throughout the tournament en route to making the quarter-finals for the first time in the nation's history. Denmark and Wales, by contrast, both missed the World Cup entirely, cruelly going out on penalties in their respective play-off finals. That gap in recent tournament pedigree makes Portugal and Norway the clear favourites to progress.
Our prediction: Portugal and Norway to qualify from Group 4!
Nations League - League B
Group B1 has Scotland, Switzerland, Slovenia and North Macedonia. Scotland reached a World Cup for the first time in 28 years, sealed with a wild 4-2 win over Denmark, and that momentum should carry into a decent League B campaign under Steve Clarke.
Group 2 is Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia and Northern Ireland. There's not much and there's not much between them; Hungary and Ukraine could fight it out for top spot, but keep an eye on Kvaratskhelia's Georgia as well.
Group 3 pairs Israel and Austria with the Republic of Ireland and Kosovo. Austria will be the team to beat in this group after a solid Euro 2024 and pedigree in major international tournaments. Kosovo are certainly worth watching, having beaten Slovakia in the World Cup play-offs before narrowly losing to Türkiye.
Group 4 looks to be another close one between Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania and Sweden. Bosnia were one of the stories of World Cup qualifying, knocking out both Italy and Wales on penalties to reach their first finals. However, Sweden have plenty of talent in their ranks with the likes of Isak, Gyokeres and Elanga. We're backing them to come out on top in what should be a tight group.
Nations League - League C
Albania, Finland, Belarus and San Marino make up the first group. Albania head in as slight favourites, coming off a Euro 2024 campaign that saw them push both hosts Germany and Spain, though Finland should provide stiff competition for top spot.
The second group includes Montenegro, Armenia, Cyprus and Latvia, fresh off surviving their play-off against Gibraltar. It's a tightly-contested section, but Montenegro's slightly greater squad depth gives them a narrow edge.
Group 3 is made up of Kazakhstan, Slovakia, the Faroe Islands and Moldova. Slovakia, who reached the last 16 at Euro 2024, look the clear favourites here, with the battle for second likely to come down to Kazakhstan and Moldova.
Finally, Iceland, Bulgaria, Estonia and Luxembourg make up the fourth and final group. Luxembourg head in with confidence after seeing off Malta in the play-offs, but Iceland's pedigree gives them the edge for top spot.
Nations League D
Lastly we havee League D, where Gibraltar, Malta and Andorra make up the first group. Both Gibraltar and Malta arriving after play-off defeats that kept them at this level rather than dropping further. The second group includes Lithuania, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein.
It's hard to say for certain, but Gibraltar and Lithuania look to have a slight advantage in their respective groups.
Beginners to sports betting - how does the Nations League work and what is its format?
The Nations League may seem complicated at first glance, but it's actually quite simple. For the first edition, the 54 participating teams were divided into four divisions according to their UEFA coefficients (based mainly on past performances). These four divisions, known as League A, League B, League C and League D, are themselves divided into several groups of three to four teams.
For example, in League A this season, France were placed in Group A1 alongside Italy, Belgium and Türkiye. In the same league, Spain were drawn in Group A3, along with Croatia, England and Czechia. Germany found themselves in Group A2 with the Netherlands, Serbia and Greece, while Portugal, Denmark, Norway and Wales made up Group A4. So we're treated to some great clashes once again this year!
And in the lower divisions (B, C and D), things remain much the same, with different groups comprising the various national teams. Division D, comprising the weakest teams, has two pools, one of which is made up of three nations. There is also an up-and-down system, which rewards the smaller teams for playing in the big leagues.
Key points for your Nations League Predictions
- 54 teams take part in the group phase
- Group stage from 24 September to 17 November 2026
- The top two teams (from the 4 League A groups) qualify for the quarter-finals.
- The third-placed team in the League A groups plays off for survival.
- The fourth-placed team in the League A groups is relegated to League B.
- An up-and-down system also applies to the other leagues.
- Two-legged quarter-finals on 25-30 March 2027.
- Single-match semi-finals on 9 and 10 June 2027.
- Third place play-off and final on 13 June 2027.
Before you start your predictions and bets on this Nations League, keep this tournament format in mind. This will allow you to avoid falling into certain traps during the final matches of the group phase.
What is at stake in the UEFA Nations League?
In the 2022-23 edition of the Nations League, play-off places for Euro 2024 were offered based on group performance, with the winner of each relevant group earning a route to the play-offs (or the next best-ranked team stepping in if that winner had already qualified directly). This is an added incentive for the tournament, keeping many players motivated and giving your Nations League predictions a boost.
For this fifth edition, the competition is once again linked to a major tournament, this time Euro 2028, which will be jointly hosted by the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Nations that fail to qualify directly through the regular Euro 2028 qualifying groups will get a second chance based on their performance in this Nations League cycle, with the best-ranked non-qualified group winners joining the play-offs for a final route to the tournament, to be played in March 2028.
As you can see, the Nations League continues to give nations who miss out on direct qualification a genuine second chance at reaching the next major tournament, keeping every group meaningful right to the end.
Our tips for making the right predictions for the 2026-2027 Nations League matches
Having given you our various predictions for the competition and discussed the format of the tournament, here are our tips for making the right prediction on each Nations League match.
These will simply enable you to play as well as possible with online operators, in order to get as close as possible to the best possible prediction.
Our main tips:
- Consider the form of the national team
- Analyse the strength of each nation
- Take rivalry and history into account
- Analyse what's at stake in the match
- Take advantage of the best odds
By taking these few tips into account, you should be able to make better predictions throughout the competition. Want more details? You'll find it just below!
Consider the form of the national team
First of all, you need to analyse the form of the teams you are betting on online. What are their most recent results?
Has the team you want to bet on just had a series of good games in all competitions? Or, on the contrary, has it just had a run of poor results?
If one of the big nations has gone seven games without a win and is facing a team that is weaker on paper but has gone ten games without a defeat, you might want to go for the latter.
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Analysing the strength of each nation
Next, it's also very important to know the squads of the two teams in the match you're betting on.
Are the key players fit? Are they injured or suspended? Are there any minor problems that could affect their chances of playing in the match or playing to their full potential? Is a player absent from the list for one reason or another?
As we all know, France won't be as good without Saliba and Mbappé, for example. And this advice applies to all sports and all competitions when you place your sports bets.
And it's even more important for the ‘small nations’, who rely heavily on two or three individuals to perform. Take Georgia, for example, with Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia and Mamardashvili.
Take rivalry and history into account
It will also be vital for you to pay particular attention to any rivalries between two teams, and to the history of recent head-to-head meetings between two teams.
In the case of France v Portugal or France v Belgium, for example, there have been major rivalries between fans and players since 2016 and 2018, and decisive matches are rare in this type of encounter. We saw this again in the last Euro 2024 matches (1-0 against the Red Devils and 0-0 with a penalty shoot-out victory against the Portuguese).
If you spot a fixture between two historic rivals, beware, it's the same context as a derby in a national championship, or almost!
Analysing what's at stake
Next, don't forget to analyse what's really at stake in the match! In a competition like the UEFA Nations League, there are a number of things at stake, such as promotion to the next division, staying in the current division, the league title or the probable qualifying places for the next round of matches.
So before you place your bets, you need to take into account each team's ambitions, to find out how motivated they really are to perform. A team that is stronger on paper but has nothing left to play for, for example, could potentially be beaten by a weaker team playing to stay up. Something to bear in mind.
Take advantage of the best odds
Finally, to make a success of your Nations League betting, you mustn't forget to choose the right bookmaker to place your bet. As you know, different sports betting sites may offer different odds for the same match, and therefore different potential winnings. That's why our Nations League odds comparator will be a great help throughout the competition!
To maximise your winnings, you need to choose the operator offering the best odds on the match you are betting on. To find out in just a few moments which operator is best for you, or the one that suits you best, take a look at our page dedicated to the best bookmakers!
By keeping these tips in mind before each bet, you'll put all the chances on your side to make the most of your bets on this Nations League 2026-2027 edition.
Other aspects are obviously important, but in our opinion these are the most important to take into account before betting on the competition!
What not to do when making your Nations League predictions
Of course, it's very important to follow the advice and best practice we've just given you in the paragraph above. But if you want to get the most out of your predictions on the competition, there are also a few bad habits you should avoid.
Before placing a bet on the Nations League, here are some of the things you should avoid doing:
- Consider a team's prestige alone
- Putting your money on your favourite team in the belief that they are bound to win
- Ignoring the stakes of the match and everything surrounding it
- Betting immediately after losing a bet to ‘make up for it’.
- Not taking an interest in the tactics and style of play of other nations
- Place too many live bets (no time for analysis)
- Betting on the favourites without analysing the match
By avoiding these bad habits, your predictions on the 2026-2027 Nations League matches will obviously become more reliable, so don't forget all that.
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Statistics for your 2026-2027 Nations League predictions
To make good predictions on the Nations League, it is useful to know the important statistics. Here, according to our experts, are the figures you need to know before placing your bets with the bookmakers.
Taken from the last edition, these statistics should make your task easier for the 2026-2027 edition. Note that the figures include all divisions:
- Home wins: 45%
- Draws: 23%
- Away wins: 32%
- Average goals: 2.70 goals per match
- +0.5 goals: 91%
- -0.5 goals: 9%
- +1.5 goals: 73%
- -1.5 goals: 27%
- +2.5 goals: 52%
- -2.5 goals: 48%
- +3.5 goals: 28%
- -3.5 goals: 72%
- +4.5 goals: 14%
- -4.5 goals: 86%
- ‘Both teams score : yes’: 46%
- Average goals per home game: 1.56
- Average goals per away game: 1.14
- Average shots per game: 20.11
- Victory by a margin of 2 goals or more (handicap): 37% of duels
- Exact score 0-0: 8.5% of clashes
- Correct score 1-1: 8.0% of matches
- Most frequent score: 1-0 or 0-1 (18.1% of games)
- Goal timing distribution: 76‘-90’ (22%)
Among other things, you can see that it will be wise to bet on rather closed matches in this Nations League 2026-27, or even double-chances on the 1X to cover yourself.
The ‘Over 1.5’ or ‘Under 2.5’ will also be worth a try! And, if you're a fan of betting on the correct score, you'll notice that 1-0 (or 0-1) went through in almost 1 match out of 5 during the last edition.
The odds are very good at online bookmakers for these types of bets, particularly exact score bets, so it would be a shame to miss out.
In a nutshell: how to correctly predict Nations League matches?
There's no secret to making successful predictions for the 2026-27 edition of the Nations League: you simply have to follow all the advice we've just given you on this page. Analysing the matches and everything that surrounds them, the statistics for the competition and for each team, adopting the betting tips and, precisely, banishing the things to avoid are indeed the keys to increasing your winnings at online sports betting sites.
Don't place a bet without first studying a match and its players, as vital information could change your mind or, on the contrary, reinforce your choice. If you don't have the time to do all that, don't hesitate to consult our experts' predictions on the competition, as 100% of the matches are waiting for you.
It's also important to manage your spending on sports betting: this activity should above all remain a leisure activity, and should never become a source of income. Once you've got all that in mind, good luck betting on the Nations League!
Our current UEFA Nations League predictions
Our UEFA Nations League predictions and betting tips will be available soon. Check back regularly for the latest insights.
UEFA Nations League: the best odds to bet
Would you like to be in the mood throughout the tournament and follow the matches live to place your bets? You can follow all the matches live on our Nations League Livescore. You'll find all the information you need in real time, free of charge (line-ups, scores, statistics, commentary, etc.). Make the most of it!
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