The first matchday of the group stage of the 2026/2027 UEFA Nations League season delivered several storylines that will be discussed for a long time. The central event was the match in Amsterdam, where the Netherlands hosted Germany, while in parallel, in the northern derby, Norway hosted Denmark, and Portugal, under new manager Jorge Jesus, opened a new chapter in their history with a match against Wales. By the end of the day, none of the top teams had secured a comfortable win, and it was the individual actions of certain players and goals scored in the final minutes that proved decisive.
Xavi and Klopp's debuts: Amsterdam produced no winner
The main match of the day brought together two managers for whom the encounter was their first in charge of their national teams: Xavi made his debut as head coach of the "Oranje," while Jurgen Klopp led the German team for the first time. The "Bundesteam" were close to pleasing their new manager with a win: Felix Nmecha put Germany ahead in the 32nd minute. However, Cody Gakpo equalised in stoppage time of the second half and saved the Netherlands from defeat — the final score was 1:1. Thus, both debutants left without a win, but also without a loss, which, in the context of the first match of a new cycle, looks like a compromise result.
Haaland decides the northern derby
In the Norway — Denmark match, the factor of Erling Haaland predictably decided everything. The Norwegian leader scored a double and became the star of the encounter, bringing his team a 3:2 victory. The Danes tried to fight back and take at least one point, but in the end they lost, while the Norwegians banked three points in the opening round of the group stage.
A new era for Portugal and Ronaldo's disallowed goal
The Portuguese national team opened a new chapter in their history: the team is now coached by Jorge Jesus, and his first test was the match against Wales. As early as the 22nd minute, Joao Felix put Portugal ahead. Cristiano Ronaldo scored early in the second half, but the goal was disallowed for offside. In the end, Portugal won, sealing the start of the new managerial cycle with a positive result.
Greece, Kosovo and Austria: results from the other divisions
The Greek national team won away against Serbia: despite conceding a goal in the 4th minute, the Greeks equalised and ultimately snatched the win, with the decisive goal scored by Anastasios Douvikas. In League B, Kosovo beat Ireland by a single goal, 1:0 — the only goal was scored by Vedat Muriqi in the 83rd minute; in the Kosovo squad, forward Baton Zarbegja of "Kharkiv" played 73 minutes. In Linz, Austria beat Israel: with the score 1:1, in the 89th minute Philipp Mwene put the Austrians ahead, and in stoppage time Sasha Kalajdzic made the final score 3:1.
The weakest division: Malta and Lithuania without upsets
In the weakest division of the Nations League, two matches were also played. Malta handled Andorra away with a score of 2:1. Lithuania, for its part, did not allow Liechtenstein to pull off a sensation: early in the second half the Lithuanians scored two goals and saw the job through to victory, keeping their goal intact. Thus, the first matchday of the Nations League ended without major upsets, but with several intriguing storylines that set the tone for the entire group stage.
