Which countries have won the Nations League? Every Nations League winner to date
Tom Hancock
The fifth edition of the Nations League is well underway, as 54 UEFA nations battle it out to take the title.
The tournament concludes with a finals tournament, beginning with two semi-finals, followed by third place play-off and final.
Here, we take a look back at the four previous Nations League winners…
Every Nations League winner
2018/19: Portugal
Portugal won the inaugural Nations League on home soil, Goncalo Guedes’ scoring the only goal of the final against the Netherlands in Porto – his first competitive international goal.
Losing semi-finalists England and Switzerland faced off in the third place play-off in Guimaraes, with England triumphing 6-5 on penalties.
Score in final: Portugal 1-0 Netherlands
Winning manager: Fernando Santos
Winning captain: Cristiano Ronaldo
Competition top scorer: Haris Seferovic – Switzerland (5 goals)
2020/21: France
France came from behind to beat Spain in the second Nations League final, played at the iconic San Siro in Milan.
Mikel Oyarzabal gave Spain the lead midway through the second half, only for Karim Benzema to equalise almost immediately. Kylian Mbappe then secured victory for France 10 minutes from time.
In the third place play-off, hosts Italy defeated Belgium 2-1, with Domenico Berardi’s penalty proving decisive.
Score in final: Spain 1-2 France
Winning manager: Didier Deschamps
Winning captain: Hugo Lloris
Competition top scorers: Romelu Lukaku – Belgium, Ferran Torres – Spain (6 goals)
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2022/23: Spain
Two years after being on the losing side in the final, Spain got their hands on the Nations League trophy for the first time as they saw off Croatia on penalties following a goalless draw in Rotterdam.
Dani Carvajal dispatched the winning spot-kick in the shootout, with goalkeeper Unai Simon producing heroics to save from Lovro Majer and Bruno Petkovic.
For the second Nations League running, Italy claimed third place, fending off a late fightback from hosts the Netherlands to win 3-2.
Score in final: Croatia 0-0 Spain (4-5 on penalties)
Winning manager: Luis de la Fuente
Winning captain: Jordi Alba
Competition top scorers: Michy Batshuayi – Belgium, Luka Modric – Croatia, Steven Bergwijn – Netherlands, Memphis Depay – Netherlands (3 goals)
2024/25: Portugal
Portugal became the first country to win the Nations League twice, triumphing on penalties after a 2-2 draw against rivals Spain in Munich.
Spain led twice through Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Oyarzabal, but Portugal responded with goals from Nuno Mendes and captain Cristiano Ronaldo to force extra time and, ultimately, spot-kicks.
Portugal scored all five of their penalties in the shootout as Diogo Costa made a crucial save from Alvaro Morata.
Third place went to France, with Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise getting the goals in a 2-0 win over hosts Germany.
Score in final: Portugal 2-2 Spain (5-3 on penalties)
Winning manager: Roberto Martinez
Winning captain: Cristiano Ronaldo
Competition top scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo – Portugal (8 goals)
Which countries have played in the Nations League finals?
So far, 10 countries have reached at least the semi-finals of the Nations League, with Germany the most recent to join the list.
Spain have appeared in the most finals tournaments, featuring on three occasions. Portugal, France, the Netherlands and Italy have all made it to at least the last four twice.
Where will the 2026/27 Nations League finals be played?
The host of this season’s Nations League finals has yet to be determined.
It will be narrowed down once the eight quarter-finalists are known, with UEFA selecting one pair of countries meeting the stadium requirements to stage the finals – with the winner of that quarter-final automatically earning hosting rights.
When will the next Nations League be?
The dates for the next Nations League after 2026/27 have yet to be determined, with UEFA set to review the format of the competition.
