UEFA Nations League: What we learned and what comes next
By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer
Álvaro Morata scored late as Spain topped Cristiano Ronaldo-led Portugal 1-0 on Tuesday to advance to the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League semifinals.
On the last Nations League match day of the calendar year, La Roja became the last team to advance to the semis — which, along with the championship and third-place games, will be played next June. Croatia, Italy and the Netherlands are also in the last four.
Up next on the international docket is the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar in November and December. With the sport's most important competition looming at year's end, September's Nations League games were especially informative.
Here are three things that we learned.
Spain, Portugal are both World Cup contenders
La Roja have been trying to get back to the top of the international game ever since their unprecedented six-year run — during which they won two European titles and one World Cup — came screeching to a halt with a group-stage exist at Brazil 2014.
Spain reached the quarterfinals four years later, and they led world champ France in the 2020-21 Nations League final before falling 2-1. Now they appear ready to make a real run on the global stage.
Luis Enrique's side needed to beat their cross-border nemesis Tuesday to advance. With the match in Lisbon, that was no easy task. They accomplished it nonetheless to finish atop their group – experience that should come in handy in Qatar, where Spain was drawn against Costa Rica, Japan and four-time World Cup winner Germany.
Portugal can hold their heads high despite the loss. As crushed as Ronaldo – who saw his shot in stoppage time saved by Spanish keeper Unai Simón — and his teammates looked when the final whistle blew, they showed in a pair of 4-0 Nations League wins (over World Cup-bound Switzerland in June and last week against the Czech Republic) how unstoppable they can be at their freewheeling best.
The Portuguese roster is stocked with players employed by the game's biggest clubs. Their talent level is off the charts. Now they have a chip on their shoulder heading into the World Cup. Channeled properly, there's no limit to how far that combination could take them in Qatar.
Huge questions for England, France
With a record of 1W-3L-2T since June, Les Bleus were terrible in the Nations League. France was lucky to narrowly avoid relegation to the second tier "League B" for the 2024-25 edition despite losing their group stage finale Sunday in Denmark — their second defeat to the Danes in as many matches.
Meanwhile, England were even worse. Following a 21-game unbeaten streak that included 18 victories, the Three Lions didn't win any of their six group stage games and were deservedly and unceremoniously sent down. While they did manage to salvage a point and some pride in Monday's 3-3 tie with Germany after trailing by two goals well into the second half, Gareth Southgate's team is a mess.
The World Cup is unique, of course. None of the French or English players grew up dreaming about winning the Nations League, which debuted just four years ago. Both teams are talented and deep enough to shake off a poor run of form and go on a deep run on the brightest stage a couple of months from now.
That wouldn't be surprising. Is it likely, though? Momentum is a funny thing. It can take on a life of its own. There's a sense that nothing can go right for England or France right now; indeed, no sooner had Harry Kane given the former the lead against the Germans Monday at Wembley than the visitors equalized, instantly evaporating any good vibes.
All we really know is that there are serious doubts facing both England and France — FOXBet's two favorites after Brazil — on the eve of the World Cup. Whatever the bookies say, the odds don't appear in their favor.
The stature of the Nations League is growing
When this competition debuted in 2018, it was met with considerable resistance. While UEFA's idea was to replace no-stakes international friendlies with meaningful, competitive matches, European soccer's governing body had a hard time convincing the masses, let alone the players.
The 2019 and 2021 versions did create marquee, star-studded finals. But players worn out by grueling club seasons that were even more condensed than usual because of the global COVID-19 pandemic were complaining about having to play additional games for their countries as recently as June.
There was no such grumbling this month. Sure, the September window provided Qatar-bound European squads with motivation and top-end preparation for the World Cup. But it was more than that. The Nations League is slowly but surely becoming an accepted fixture on the international calendar. Teams want to win it for winning's sake alone. Ronaldo helped his country to the trophy in the inaugural tournament three years ago – with his legendary career winding down, the 37-year-old looked genuinely devastated when Spain ended their dreams of another title on Tuesday.
On the other side of the field, La Roja celebrated (almost) as if they'd won the World Cup.
One of the leading soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.