Eight matches from the first round of the Nations League are on the program today. Armenia – Latvia and Georgia – Northern Ireland start at 19:00 Bulgarian time, and the remaining six matches are scheduled for 21:45.
The most serious attention is focused on group A1, where Italy hosts Belgium and Turkey welcomes France. In Rome, the hosts begin the new cycle with Roberto Mancini, who returns to lead the national team. For Belgium, this will be the first official match under the leadership of Mark van Bommel.
Italy and Belgium have already met in the previous edition of the tournament. The match in October 2024 ended 2-2 after the Belgians overcame a two-goal deficit. Italy reached the quarter-finals last season but were eliminated by Germany 5-4 on aggregate.
Zidane starts in charge of France
In the other Group A1 match, Turkey will be looking for a strong start against France. Zinedine Zidane will be leading the “Roosters“ for the first time in an official match, while France enters the tournament as the third team from the previous edition. Turkey won promotion to the top tier after winning over Hungary in the play-offs.
In Group B2, Hungary hosts Ukraine, while Georgia plays Northern Ireland. Ukraine returns to League B, and Northern Ireland and Georgia will kick off their match at the earlier time of 19:00. In Group B4, Poland hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Sweden hosts Romania.
Armenia – Latvia and Montenegro – Cyprus are the matches in Group C2. The two teams that win these matches will have the opportunity to start the battle for first place in the first round.
“This is a competition with high expectations and hopes, but it is very difficult”, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente told UEFA about the new edition of the tournament.The first four rounds of the league phase are played between 24 September and 6 October, with the last two in November. The quarter-finals and play-offs for promotion and relegation are scheduled for 25-30 March 2027, and the final four will take place between 9 and 13 June 2027. Tomorrow's schedule includes Bulgaria - Luxembourg, England - Spain and the Czech Republic - Croatia.
Sources: The Guardian