On Sunday 8th June 2025, Portugal became the first multiple time winners of the UEFA Nations League after they defeated reigning champions Spain 5-3 on penalties after the match ended 2-2 after 120 minutes.
Although the fourth edition of the tournament introduced by UEFA in 2018 produced scintillating football with Lamine Yamal (17) and Cristiano Ronaldo (40) bookending the best of the current crop of footballing talent across the globe, there are still reservations over the formatting of the tournament. However, there are plenty of arguments that provide evidence of the success enjoyed by the Nations League so far.
Still better than friendly matches
Whatever argument gets lobbied at the Nations League and the format, there is no denying that the matches and the competition levels shown in them are a significant step up from those witnessed in friendlies that would have been played instead during these international windows. By introducing a tiered league format where promotion and relegation is a distinct reality, there is automatically more to play for.
Managers are still at liberty to pick and choose whatever squad they want, and test players should they wish, but the aim of winning a trophy or progressing to the highest league possible is the aim for all nations involved and as displayed in the recent semi finals and final, especially the matches involving Spain, the calibre of football in these international windows is vastly improved.
Incentive for smaller nations
With the next World Cup only one year away, thoughts on qualification for FIFA’s showpiece event are squared firmly on securing a spot in the U.S, Canada, and Mexico. While qualification and a mention on football betting tips and strategies might be an almost certainty for nations such as Spain, France, Germany, and England, there are smaller nations that will hope to take advantage of the format of the Nations League to write their own piece of history and make a World Cup tournament.
The expanded nature of the World Cup provides sixteen spots for nations from UEFA. Twelve will qualify directly for next summer’s tournament by virtue of winning their qualification group, while the twelve runners up will be entered into a playoff. However, for the four best placed teams from the Nations League campaign that do not finish in the top two of the World Cup qualification group, they will receive a ticket to the playoffs to compete for one of the four World Cup spots awarded via the playoffs.
For countries such as Estonia, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, and Finland, supposed smaller nations in the European footballing world, there is a better chance, if only slightly, of them making a major competition.
Restoring of pride
One final reason why the Nations League should be heralded as a success is the restoration of pride in a nation’s footballing ability provided by more competitive matches against nations of similar calibre. Although this might be more appropriate for the minnow nations such as San Marino, Gibraltar, and the Faroe Islands, we should not forget the footballing world is a family and that every nation contributes to the beautiful game.
For the abovementioned nations, the days of heavy thrashings are banished to the distant past, replaced by tight, competitive matches where there is a significantly greater chance of winning. Even seeing a nation create more chances and score more goals is enough to restore pride in a footballing nation, regardless of how big or small a country is.