UEFA Nations League 2025 Finals: Who Wins It?
The newest major title in European football is up for grabs as Spain, France, Portugal, and host nation Germany collide in the finals of the 2025 Nations League.
All four teams topped their respective League A groups and played mesmerizing quarterfinals to book a place in the final four. Spain is the defending champion, while three of the four already have a title to their tally. Germany is the only one without the honour.
Join us as we go through the who, what, when, and where of the 2025 UEFA Nations League finals. We'll examine the competition itself, including teams that made the finals, inspect the best odds for various markets, and provide a few end-game predictions.
How Does the Nations League Work?
But first, let’s break down the tournament and see how we got here.
Discounting the fact that many club-level fans dread the biennial competition for causing player injuries, there is no denying that the tour brought back the cachet to international football outside of major tournaments.
The thing is: UEFA made it competitive. They divided 54 nations into 4 Leagues with clear paths of promotion and relegation. Nations from leagues B, C, and D are fighting to go up a level or at least stay, while the League A nations fight for the trophy. Plus, UEFA turned the tour into an alternative pathway for qualifying for the World Cup.
The Finals Format
A far cry from the dull, drab international football of yesteryear, the major appeal stems from its final format. Namely, the final four is played as a series of single-leg knockouts where the winner takes all. To reach it, teams must secure a top-2 place in their respective Ligue A groups and then win the two-leg quarterfinals in March.
In the first semifinal, Germany meets (hosts, I should say) Portugal, the winners of the inaugural UEFA Nations League. In the other match, the reigning champion Spain plays France in the semifinals in Stuttgart, at a venue that brings back fond memories from the EURO 2024 quarterfinals against Germany.
Winners will conclude the League of Nations with a final game at the Allianz Arena in Munich, whereas the defeated will compete for the third.
When is the 2025 League of Nations Final Tour?
The Final Four knockouts will be played during the June international break. The semifinal round is scheduled for June 4th and 5th, respectively, while the 3rd place game and the final showdown are slated for Sunday, June 8th.
- June 4th – Germany vs Portugal (Munich)
- June 5th – Spain vs France (Stuttgart)
- June 8th – Third-place match (Stuttgart)
- June 8th – Final (Munich)
UEFA Nations League 2025 Final Teams
Four out of 54 nations advanced to the final four stage. Let's meet the teams more closely.
Spain
Spain has been on a roll lately. Led by 63-year-old Luis de la Fuente, La Roja won the 2023 UEFA Nations League and 2024 EUROs. On the road to Munich, the Spanish national team topped Group A1 with 16 points, only failing to win away at Serbia. The quarterfinals against the Netherlands was a knife-edge tie decided by penalties after 5:5 on aggregate.
Coach de la Fuente decided to rely on the backbone that won the EUROs (minus Rodri and Ferran Torres). A notable introduction is Real Betis midfielder Isco who's back after a six-year absence. Interestingly, no Real Madrid player received a call-up.
Germany
Germany is in a period of rebuilding, with several high-profile players retiring from international football around the same time. Coach Julian Nagelsmann was deemed perfect for the role, but he had yet to lead a team to a deep run in any major tournament.
Until the 2025 League of Nations, that is. Germany thrived in Group A3 before meeting Italy for the last 8 of the competitions. In the two-legged football theatrics, we saw the best and the worst of the young German side. They won away and then let the three-goal-lead slip through their fingers before finding a second wind and closing the deal. Some key players will be missing from the squad, such as Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Antonio Rüdiger.
Portugal
Despite their disappointing outings in most major international competitions, the Seleção seems to bring the best for Nations League fixtures. Roberto Martínez's side topped Group A1 comfortably before playing a thrilling quarterfinal against Denmark.
Martínez called up the strongest possible side for the final, with 40-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo as the team captain. The issue for the Seleção is always the same. They are one of, if not the best, nations in the world between the tournaments. When push comes to shove, though, the top prize somehow slips their hands. Will they flip the script? We'll find out soon enough, but bookies are too sure.
France
On paper, France has the strongest squad in Europe and then some. But that never stops Les Bleus from mucking it up, losing the first game in the tournament at home to Italy. But Didier Deschamps' boys picked it and topped the group A2 on goal difference.
The quarterfinal duel against Croatia, which doubled as a retake of the 2018 World Cup final, proved a hard-fought win on penalties after coming from 2:0 behind in the first game.
There is an overarching feeling of stagnation in the French camp that only a win here would make more palatable. Luckily, Deschamps has most of the team healthy for the finals, with Barcelona's Jules Kounde the only notable absentee.
Odds & Predictions
Germany is on top of the chain, odds-wise. BC.GAME is having Nationalelf at 2.65 to take the tour, while Jackbit has them at 1.85 to beat Portugal.
The second in line is Spain. La Roja are unbeaten in their last nine UEFA Nations League games outside of Spain (W5 D4) and BC.Game has it at 3.1.
France is an unknown quantity with 2.04 odds of going past La Roja (2.91 to do it in regular 90). Lastly, Portugal isn't given much of a shot at 6.2 (BC.Game).
To my mind, this year's UEFA National League final is ripe for another European classic between Spain and Germany. And if I were a betting man, Spain would be my pick.
John Doe
Casino Expert
