Nations League: League A results, how it worked

What happened?

Group 1: Croatia are through to the finals after keeping themselves ahead of Denmark on Matchday 6. Denmark threatened to leapfrog them at the summit in a 2-0 defeat of France, but Croatia dug deep to see off Austria – who finished bottom of the section and are relegated to League B.

Group 2: Spain stunned Portugal late on Matchday 6 in Braga to overtake their hosts in the standings and clinch the last remaining final berth thanks to Morata's strike two minutes from time. Switzerland only needed to avoid defeat to avoid relegation at home to bottom side Czechia and two first-half La Nati goals in quick succession set the home side on the way to a 2-1 win in St Gallen.

Group 3: Italy became the third nation to reach the last four as they overhauled Hungary 2-0 in Budapest to finish a point clear of their opponents in the final standings. Relegated England completed their campaign without a victory after a 3-3 draw against Germany.

Group 4: The Netherlands only needed to avoid a heavy defeat by Belgium on Matchday 6 to secure first place and they managed better than that, edging their neighbours and rivals 1-0 in Amsterdam. Wales were relegated to League B following a 1-0 home loss to Poland.

What next?

Croatia, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands will contest the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League finals. Matches will take place in Rotterdam and Enschede, with semi-finals on 14 and 15 June. The final and third-place play-off scheduled for 18 June. The draw to determine the semi-final pairings will take place in January 2023 in Nyon, with the exact date and time to be confirmed in due course.

How League A of the UEFA Nations League worked

League A contained 16 teams, drawn into four groups of four. The teams played each of their group opponents home and away in June and September 2022. The four group winners in League A (Croatia, Italy, Netherlands, Spain) advance to the knockout finals in June 2023. Teams finishing fourth (Austria, England, Wales, Czechia) were relegated to League B.

League A groups

A1: France, Denmark, Croatia, Austria
A2: Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Czechia
A3: Italy, Germany, England, Hungary
A4: Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Wales

All League A results

MATCHDAY 1

Wales midfielder Jonny Williams scored the first goal of the new competition, but his side lost away to Poland. Portugal scored a late goal to hold Spain in their opening encounter, while there were shocks as two Andreas Cornelius goals earned Denmark a win in France and England succumbed to a Dominik Szoboszlai penalty in Budapest. Elsewhere, Memphis Depay struck twice as the Netherlands prevailed in Belgium.

Wednesday 1 June
A4 Poland 2-1 Wales

Thursday 2 June
A2 Czechia 2-1 Switzerland 
A2 Spain 1-1 Portugal

Friday 3 June
A1 Croatia 0-3 Austria 
A1 France 1-2 Denmark
A4 Belgium 1-4 Netherlands 

Saturday 4 June
A3 Hungary 1-0 England 
A3 Italy 1-1 Germany

MATCHDAY 2

Cristiano Ronaldo struck twice as Portugal flattened Switzerland and Robert Lewandowski added to his international tally, though his Poland team lost 6-1 in Belgium. Harry Kane's late equaliser from the spot against Germany was his 50th goal for England.

Sunday 5 June
A2 Czechia 2-2 Spain 
A2 Portugal 4-0 Switzerland

Monday 6 June
A1 Austria 1-2 Denmark 
A1 Croatia 1-1 France

Tuesday 7 June
A3 Germany 1-1 England 
A3 Italy 2-1 Hungary

Wednesday 8 June
A4 Belgium 6-1 Poland
A4 Wales 1-2 Netherlands

MATCHDAY 3

Five of the eight Matchday 3 games ended level in League A. Pablo Sarabia's early goal in Switzerland gave Spain their first win, Portugal made relatively light work of Czechia and Mario Pašalić's strike for Croatia ended Denmark's perfect start in Group A1.

Thursday 9 June
A2 Portugal 2-0 Czechia
A2 Switzerland 0-1 Spain

Friday 10 June
A1 Austria 1-1 France 
A1 Denmark 0-1 Croatia

Saturday 11 June
A3 England 0-0 Italy 
A3 Hungary 1-1 Germany
A4 Netherlands 2-2 Poland 
A4 Wales 1-1 Belgium 

MATCHDAY 4

England suffered their worst home defeat since 1928 when they lost 4-0 to Hungary, and Germany put five past Italy in the other Group A3 game. Haris Seferović scored within the opening minute as Switzerland won at home against Portugal, and there was another shock in Saint-Denis as Luka Modrić's early penalty gave Croatia victory against France.

Sunday 12 June
A2 Spain 2-0 Czechia
A2 Switzerland 1-0 Portugal

Monday 13 June
A1 Denmark 2-0 Austria 
A1 France 0-1 Croatia

Tuesday 14 June
A3 England 0-4 Hungary 
A3 Germany 5-2 Italy
A4 Netherlands 3-2 Wales 
A4 Poland 0-1 Belgium 

MATCHDAY 5

England's 1-0 defeat in Italy condemned Gareth Southgate's side to the drop but otherwise everything will be decided on the final day. Croatia beat Denmark to seize top spot in Group A1, while the Netherlands and Hungary are close to the finals after impressive away wins. Spain, meanwhile, ceded pole position in Group A2 to Portugal, a shock home loss against Switzerland allowing their neighbours to profit.

Thursday 22 September
A1 Croatia 2-1 Denmark 
A1 France 2-0 Austria
A4 Belgium 2-1 Wales 
A4 Poland 0-2 Netherlands 

Friday 23 September
A3 Germany 0-1 Hungary 
A3 Italy 1-0 England

Saturday 24 September
A2 Czechia 0-4 Portugal 
A2 Spain 1-2 Switzerland

MATCHDAY 6

The first two places at the UEFA Nations League finals were decided on Sunday, with the Netherlands and Croatia securing their berths in the four-team event next June. Virgil van Dijk struck the only goal as the Oranje saw off nearest rivals Belgium, while Marko Livaja and Dejan Lovren notched the decisive goals for Croatia away to Austria.

Hungary only needed a draw to join them, but Italy pipped them at the post with a 2-0 success in Budapest, Giacomo Raspadori and Federico Dimarco with the goals either side of half-time. The last-four line-up was completed on Tuesday in dramatic style when Álvaro Morata's 88th-minute strike helped Spain leapfrog Portugal, who only required a point to qualify.

Sunday 25 September
A1 Austria 1-3 Croatia 
A1 Denmark 2-0 France
A4 Netherlands 1-0 Belgium 
A4 Wales 0-1 Poland

Monday 26 September
A3 England 3-3 Germany 
A3 Hungary 0-2 Italy

Tuesday 27 September
A2 Portugal 0-1 Spain 
A2 Switzerland 2-1 Czechia