Nations League 2026: announcements and match schedule for the second matchday of the first round
Фото: УЄФА
Today, September 25, is the match day of the 1st round of the UEFA Nations League of the 2026/27 season – eight matches are scheduled in three divisions of the tournament. The main event of the day for Ukrainian fans will be the match of the Ukrainian national team against Hungary in Budapest.
This is reported by “Pryamiy” .
The Ukrainian national team is in Group B2 with Hungary, Georgia and Northern Ireland. The Hungary-Ukraine match will take place on September 25 at 10:00 PM at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, and earlier that day, at 7:00 PM, Georgia and Northern Ireland will play in the same group.
Full schedule of matches for the 1st round:
- League A, 9:45 PM: Italy – Belgium
- League A, 9:45 PM: Turkey – France
- League B, 19:00: Georgia – Northern Ireland
- League B, 21:45: Poland – Bosnia and Herzegovina
- League B, 21:45: Hungary – Ukraine
- League B, 9:45 PM: Sweden – Romania
- League C, 19:00: Armenia – Latvia
- League C, 21:45: Montenegro – Cyprus
Italy – Belgium
The match will be held at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. The Italian national team has recently missed three consecutive World Cups, and Roberto Mancini has returned to the position of head coach after the failures of Spalletti and Gattuso.
Belgium are under the management of Van Bommel, who replaced Rudi Garcia after the team reached the quarter-finals of the last World Cup. In their last five head-to-head matches, the Italians have won four times and drawn one.
Turkey – France
The match will be held at Kocaeli Stadium. The Turkish national team is led by Vincenzo Montella, with whom the team reached the quarter-finals of the Euro, but did not score a single goal at the last World Cup. The French national team has ended a long period of work with Didier Deschamps and is returning to the position of head coach Zinedine Zidane.
The French won the first four head-to-head matches, but in the Euro 2020 qualifiers the teams drew and France suffered a defeat.
Georgia – Northern Ireland
The match will be held at the Boris Paichadze Dynamo Arena. The Georgian national team made its debut at Euro 2024, reaching the play-offs of the tournament, but failed to qualify for the World Cup, losing twice to Spain and Turkey.
Northern Ireland last won their Nations League group at Division C level, losing 2-0 to Italy in the spring play-offs. The teams have only met once before, in 2008, when Northern Ireland won 4-1.
Poland – Bosnia and Herzegovina
The match will be held at the Narodniy Stadium in Warsaw. The Polish national team is led by Jan Urban, under whose leadership the team qualified for the Euros through the play-offs, but lost to Sweden in the World Cup playoffs.
Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the World Cup for the first time, where they lost 0:2 to the United States in the round of 32, after which team captain Edin Dzeko announced his retirement from international football. In their last five individual matches, the Poles have won four times and drawn one.
Hungary – Ukraine
The match will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest. The Ukrainian national team is considered the favorite in Group B2, but at the same time the team has personnel losses due to injuries to Yarmolyuk, Mudryk, Malinovsky, Dovbyk, Stepanov, Konoplya, and Gutsulyak is currently without a club.
Hungary also has two injured players, defender Callum Styles and midfielder Rolland Szállás. The teams have previously met twice, in 1992, with each side winning 3-1 and 2-1 respectively.
Sweden – Romania
The match will take place at the Strawberry Arena. The Swedish national team is led by Graham Potter, with whom the team qualified for the World Cup through play-offs, beating Ukraine and Poland, and reached the playoffs in the tournament itself.
After the end of Mircea Lucescu’s tenure, the Romanian national team was temporarily led by Gheorghe Haxhi, with whom the team drew with Georgia and defeated Wales 2:1. In the last four head-to-head matches, Sweden won three times and lost once.
Armenia – Latvia
The match will take place at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium. The Armenian national team lost the play-offs to Georgia with an aggregate score of 1:9 in the last cycle of the League of Nations, and in the World Cup qualifiers they won a sensational victory over Ireland.
Latvia retained their place in Group C with two 1-0 wins over Gibraltar, but lost friendlies to Lithuania and the Faroe Islands in the summer. In their last six head-to-head matches, the Armenians have three wins and two losses.
Montenegro – Cyprus
The match will take place in Division C of the League of Nations. Montenegro’s national team in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers took the penultimate place in the group, ahead of only Gibraltar. Cyprus’ national team in the qualifiers scored 8 points in eight matches, taking the penultimate place ahead of only San Marino.
In five previous head-to-head meetings, the teams drew twice, Montenegro won three times, and in the last two matches of 2020, the Cypriots lost with scores of 0:2 and 0:4.
Recall that on Thursday, September 24, the new UEFA Nations League draw for the 2026/27 season started . On the first match day, eight matches will be held, including the Netherlands hosting Germany and Portugal playing Wales.
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