Nations League draw in full: England handed Spain reunion in tough group

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Evening Standard

·12 febbraio 2026

Nations League draw in full: England handed Spain reunion in tough group

Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions have treacherous path to finals after promotion back to League A

England have been paired with Spain and Croatia in a tough-looking draw for the 2026/27 Nations League.

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Thomas Tuchel’s side have been handed a difficult path in their quest to reach the finals of the UEFA competition for the first time since 2019, with Czechia also placed in Group A3.

England have not met Spain since the final of Euro 2024, where they suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat in Berlin under Gareth Southgate after Mikel Oyarzabal’s late winner that came after Cole Palmer had cancelled out an opening goal by Nico Williams.

Croatia have become very familiar opponents for the Three Lions in recent years and the two nations are scheduled to meet during the 2026 World Cup group stage in Texas in June, having also played at Euro 2020 and in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Moscow.

England last faced Czechia at the Covid-delayed Euro 2020 finals in June 2021, when Raheem Sterling’s early header at Wembley sealed top spot in Group D.

England have now returned to the top tier of the Nations League, having clinched immediate promotion back to League A in 2024 under caretaker boss Lee Carsley following their relegation in 2022/23.

They finished third in their League A group in 2020/21, having reached the finals of the inaugural competition in 2018/19, winning a group containing Spain and Croatia before losing to the Netherlands in the semi-finals and then beating Switzerland on penalties to seal third place in Portugal.

Ahead of the latest Nations League draw in Brussels on Friday, England announced that manager Tuchel had signed a contract extension that would see him remain in charge until after Euro 2028, for which England are co-hosts.

World Cup-bound Scotland will play Switzerland, Slovenia and North Macedonia in Group B1 of the 2026/27 Nations League after their relegation from League A that followed a dismal play-off loss to Greece, while Wales face Portugal, Norway and Denmark in Group A4 after being promoted last time around.

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Northern Ireland are up against Hungary, Ukraine and Georgia in Group B2 after being promoted from League C, while the Republic of Ireland are in Group B3 alongside Israel, Austria and Kosovo, having won a play-off against Bulgaria to avoid demotion from League B.

The Football Association of Ireland (FAI) have confirmed that they will fulfil their fixtures against Israel, having previously voted to approve a resolution to submit a formal motion to UEFA seeking to have Israel banned from European club and international competitions.