Every Winner of the UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League has a strange old reputation amongst football fans. For fans of the more heavyweight nations, the tournament gets plenty of stick, with matches often referred to as glorified friendlies, and the trophy considered one not worth winning. Those from smaller nations, however, are grateful for the continent's newest competition, as it provides them with the opportunity to climb through the rankings against similarly ranked nations, even providing an outside chance of qualifying for the European Championships every four years.
The current 2026/27 cycle represents the fifth edition of the Nations League, and online betting sites make the usual suspects the favorites for glory. The latest online sports betting odds make reigning World and European champions Spain the 11/4 joint favorites to complete a famous Triple Crown next summer, level with France. Then comes England at 11/2 and Portugal at 6/1. But whose footsteps are they looking to follow in throughout the ongoing edition of the tournament? Here is every winner of the Nations League since the tournament's inauguration back in 2018/19.
2018/19: Portugal
The inaugural edition of the tournament was initially met with skepticism, but almost immediately fans were won over. The drab international friendlies that saw 11 substitutions at half-time were gone, and in their place came genuine competitive fixtures with real stakes.
Nowhere was that more evident than in Group A4's final day decider between England and Croatia. Just months prior, the Croatians had broken English hearts at the 2018 World Cup, winning a thrilling semifinal after Mario Mandzukic's extra-time winner and punching their tickets to a maiden final at the Three Lions' expense. In the pair's rematch, the stakes couldn't be higher: The winner would secure a spot in the Nations League finals, while the loser would be relegated to League B.
In the end, Gareth Southgate's side secured its revenge. Andrej Kramarić's second-half goal handed the Croatians the lead, but late goals from Jesse Lingard and Harry Kane turned things around, sealing a 2-1 victory at Wembley and England's spot in the Finals. Portugal, Switzerland, and the Netherlands would join them, with the former of that trio chosen as the host for the summer 2019 showdown, where Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. would put their raucous home support to good use.
The Selecao swept aside Switzerland in their semifinal, with the iconic CR7 netting a hat trick. In the other semifinal, the Netherlands would upset England, winning 3-1 in extra time after a Kyle Walker own goal and a Quincy Promes strike. But in the final, the Oranje were powerless to resist as the hosts claimed the win, with Goncalo Guedes netting the only goal of the game on the hour mark to hand Portugal their second trophy in three years after winning the European Championships in the summer of 2016.
2020/21: France
Despite global events running roughshod over the sporting schedule, the 2020/21 Nations League surprisingly took place as planned, albeit with no spectators in attendance. And this time around, many of the continent's big boys would reach the finals. A new-look Spain team stole the show, while a Karim Benzema-led France also shone. They were joined in the final four by Italy and Belgium, with the Finals in Italy providing goal fests.
Spain eliminated the hosting Italians in the semifinals, courtesy of a brace from Ferran Torres, while Les Bleus rallied from two goals down to beat Belgium after second-half strikes from Benzema, Kylian Mbappé, and Theo Hernandez's last-gasp winner. In the final, France would have to rally again when Mikel Oyarzabal handed La Roja the lead. Benzema drew his side level with a stunning strike from the edge of the area, allowing Mbappé to slot home the winner with ten minutes to go.
2022/23: Spain
In autumn 2026, Spain is considered the dominant force in world football. They beat England to win the European Championships in the summer of 2024, before then beating Argentina to win the World Cup two years later. But their current era of dominance began in the autumn of 2022, when current boss Luis de la Fuente built his team around a midfield of Rodri, Dani Olmo, and Fabian Ruiz.
His decision immediately paid dividends as La Roja beat Italy in the semifinals, thanks to goals from young winger Yeremy Pino and experienced striker Joselu, sealing a 2-1 win. Croatia upset hosts the Netherlands in the other semifinal, winning 4-2 after extra time goals from Bruno Petkovic and Luka Modric. And in the final, they would attempt to spring the shock once more.
Neither side was able to break the deadlock throughout 120 minutes of action, meaning that a penalty shootout would decide the winner of the tournament. There, goalkeeper Unai Simon became the hero, saving Petkovic's spot kick and allowing Dani Carvajal to sweep home the winner.
2024/25: Portugal
Spain attempted to defend the trophy two years later, and they would have the chance to do exactly that when they beat France by five goals to four in a thrilling semifinal. All that stood in their way was an unfancied Portugal side that had upset hosts Germany in the other semifinal. But with La Roja on the brink of becoming the first team in the tournament's history to successfully defend the trophy, it would be their Iberian neighbors that instead made history.
The bookies made Spain the overwhelming favorites to leave Munich as champions, and twice they took the lead, thanks to goals from Martin Zubimendi and Oyarzabal. Twice, though, they were pegged back, with Nuno Mendes and Ronaldo both managing crucial equalizers.
The game would remain tied at 2-2, and in the resulting shootout, lady luck would overlook the defending champions in favor of the underdogs. Portugal netted all five of their penalties, and Diogo Costa's save from captain Alvaro Morata’s spot-kick ensured that Portugal became the first two-time champions in Nations League history. Now, they look to succeed where Spain failed in successfully defending the title in 2026/27.
