England and Wales will play in their final two matches before jetting off to Qatar for the World Cup in November as this year’s Uefa Nations League group stage draws to a close.
The Three Lions reached the Nations League finals in the inaugural tournament four years ago but are at serious risk of relegation from League A this time around following a calamitous summer in which they took only two points from four games.
Although Gareth Southgate’s squad earned a creditable draw against Germany in Munich and shared a point with Italy back in June, they were beaten home and away by Hungary including by a humbling 4-0 scoreline at Molineux.
That result, which was England’s heaviest home defeat since 1928, piled the pressure on Southgate and he will be hoping for much-improved performances against Italy (at the San Siro) and Germany (at Wembley) during this international break.
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Wales are the only other home nation in the top tier of the Nations League, but they too have struggled and are on course for a demotion to League B with just one point to show from their four matches.
In fairness to Rob Page and his players, they had far more pressing matters to attend to during the previous round of Nations League fixtures which coincided with their World Cup play-off final against Ukraine. A 1-0 win in Cardiff secured Wales’ spot at the World Cup for the first time since 1958.
They play Belgium in Brussels before hosting Poland in Cardiff where they can surely expect to receive a rapturous send-off from supporters in their final match before taking on the USA in Qatar on 21 November.
Elsewhere, Scotland meet the Republic of Ireland in Glasgow while Northern Ireland welcome Kosovo to Windsor Park before travelling to Greece for their final fixture.
The Nations League finals will be contested by the four group winners of League A – currently Denmark, Spain, Hungary and the Netherlands – in the form of two semi-finals and a final from 14-18 June 2023.
How to watch Nations League games
England fixtures
Italy vs England
- Date: Friday 23 September
- Kick-off: 7.45pm
- TV channel: Channel 4, coverage begins at 7pm
- Live stream: 4oD
England vs Germany
- Date: Monday 26 September
- Kick-off: 7.45pm
- TV channel: Channel 4, coverage begins at 7pm
- Live stream: 4oD
Wales fixtures
Belgium vs Wales
- Date: Thursday 22 September
- Kick-off: 7.45pm
- TV channel: S4C, coverage begins at 7.25pm
- Live stream: Premier Sports 1
Wales vs Poland
- Date: Sunday 25 September
- Kick-off: 7.45pm
- TV channel: S4C, coverage begins at 7.15pm
- Live stream: Premier Sports 1
Scotland fixtures
Scotland vs Ukraine
- Date: Wednesday 21 September
- Kick-off: 7.45pm
- TV channel: ITV 4, coverage begins at 7pm
- Live stream: ITV Hub and Premier Sports 1
Scotland vs Republic of Ireland
- Date: Saturday 24 September
- Kick-off: 7.45pm
- TV channel: Premier Sports 1
- Live stream: Premier Sports 1
Ukraine vs Scotland
- Date: Tuesday 27 September
- Kick-off: 7.45pm
- TV channel: Premier Sports 1
- Live stream: Premier Sports 1
Northern Ireland fixtures
Northern Ireland vs Kosovo
- Date: Saturday 24 September
- Kick-off: 5pm
- TV channel: Premier Sports 1
- Live stream: Premier Sports 1
Greece vs Northern Ireland
- Date: Tuesday 27 September
- Kick-off: 7.45pm
- Live stream: Free Sports
Republic of Ireland fixtures
Republic of Ireland vs Armenia
Date: Thursday 27 September
Kick-off: 7.45pm
TV channel: Premier Sports 1
Live stream: Premier Sports 1
Southgate under pressure
To those in attendance at Molineux on that desperate night in June, it felt like the beginning of the end of Southgate’s England tenure. The mood has unmistakenly turned on the most successful England manager in over half a century.
As ever, there have been the usual moans and groans about Southgate’s latest squad which includes a clutch of players – notably in defence – who have barely featured for their clubs at the start of this season.
“This is a bigger than normal squad and part of the rationale is that we are very close to a World Cup and we feel, although our results were disappointing in the summer, we have picked on the basis of form and capability over a long period,” Southgate explained.
“Clearly, we have a number of players including Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips who are not playing a lot of minutes with their club. It is not ideal, but we feel they have been, and can be, important players for us. It is not a perfect situation but there is still a lot of football to be played before Qatar.”
England squad in full
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale.
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Chilwell, Conor Coady, Eric Dier, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Fikayo Tomori, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker.
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse.
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, Ivan Toney.
With time running out before the World Cup, Southgate has prioritised experienced internationals over less proven performers with Brentford’s uncapped striker Ivan Toney the exception to the rule.
Toney has started the campaign in fine form, scoring five goals in his opening seven Premier League games and is currently in pole position to be Harry Kane’s backup in Qatar.
Tottenham defender Eric Dier has earned a recall after a two-year absence, while Jordan Henderson has replaced Kalvin Phillips who misses out through injury.
Nations League fixtures in full
Wednesday 21 September
League B: Group 1
- Scotland vs Ukraine
Thursday 22 September
League A: Group 1
- Croatia vs Denmark
- France vs Austria
League A: Group 4
- Belgium vs Wales
- Poland vs Netherlands
League C: Group 1
- Lithuania vs Faroe Islands
- Turkey vs Luxembourg
League C: Group 3
- Kazakhstan vs Belarus
- Slovakia vs Azerbaijan
League D: Group 1
- Latvia vs Moldova
- Liechtenstein vs Andorra
Friday 23 September
League A: Group 3
- Germany vs Hungary
- Italy vs England
League B: Group B
- Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Montenegro
- Finland vs Romania
League C: Group 4
- Georgia vs North Macedonia
- Bulgaria vs Gibraltar
League D: Group 2
- Estonia vs Malta
Saturday 24 September
League A: Group 2
- Czech Republic vs Portugal
- Spain vs Switzerland
League B: Group 1
- Armenia vs Ukraine
- Scotland vs Republic of Ireland
League B: Group 2
- Israel vs Albania
League B: Group 4
- Slovenia vs Norway
- Serbia vs Sweden
League C: Group 2
- Northern Ireland vs Kosovo
- Cyprus vs Greece
Sunday 25 September
League A: Group 1
- Austria vs Croatia
- Denmark vs France
League A: Group 4
- Netherlands vs Belgium
- Wales vs Poland
League C: Group 1
- Faroe Islands vs Turkey
- Luxembourg vs Lithuania
League C: Group 3
- Azerbaijan vs Kazakhstan
- Slovakia vs Belarus
League D: Group 1
- Andorra vs Latvia
- Moldova vs Liechtenstein
Monday 26 September
League A: Group 3
- England vs Germany
- Hungary vs Italy
League B: Group 3
- Montenegro vs Finland
- Romania vs Bosnia and Herzegovina
League C: Group 4
- Gibraltar vs Georgia
- North Macedonia vs Bulgaria
League D: Group 2
- San Marino vs Estonia
Tuesday 27 September
League A: Group 2
- Portugal vs Spain
- Switzerland vs Czech Republic
League B: Group 1
- Republic of Ireland vs Armenia
- Ukraine vs Scotland
League B: Group 2
- Albania vs Iceland
League B: Group 4
- Norway vs Serbia
- Sweden vs Slovenia
League C: Group 2
- Greece vs Northern Ireland
- Kosovo vs Cyprus
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