UEFA Nations League: Italy Roar Back Against Türkiye as France Maintain Perfect Start
The 2026/27 UEFA Nations League produced another compelling round of action on Monday, with Italy, France, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro recording significant victories across Europe.
Italy delivered the biggest statement of the night with a 4-1 demolition of Türkiye, while France maintained their perfect start with a late 1-0 victory over Belgium. Sweden also continued their strong campaign by defeating Poland 3-1, while Bosnia and Herzegovina produced an impressive 4-2 away win over Romania.
Beyond the individual results, the latest round has begun to shape the early standings and the race for promotion, quarter-final places and survival across the four divisions.
Italy 4-1 Türkiye: Kayode marks debut with a goal
Italy bounced back from their opening-day defeat to Belgium in emphatic fashion, cruising to a 4-1 victory over Türkiye.
The Azzurri dominated large periods of the contest and translated their superiority into goals, with Alessandro Bastoni, Davide Frattesi, Michael Kayode and Pio Esposito finding the net.
Türkiye’s Barış Alper Yılmaz scored the consolation goal, but Italy remained in control as they secured a much-needed three points.
For Kayode, the match was particularly memorable as the young defender marked his Italy debut with a goal. His contribution provided an early milestone in his international career and further strengthened Italy’s emerging generation.
The victory also revived Italy’s campaign after their opening 2-0 defeat to Belgium. With three points from their first two matches, the Azzurri have immediately returned to contention in a highly competitive Group A1.
Türkiye, meanwhile, remain without a point after two matches.
Belgium 0-1 France: Olise strikes late
France maintained their perfect start to the competition with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Belgium.
Michael Olise delivered the decisive moment in the 88th minute, breaking Belgium’s resistance with a late strike to give France maximum points.
The result leaves France on six points from two matches after their opening victory over Türkiye.
The result was also significant for France’s squad development, with several players receiving opportunities as the team continued to operate without relying entirely on its established stars.
Belgium, who defeated Italy in their opening match, now have three points and face a more complicated battle for the top two positions in Group A1.
France and Italy will meet in another potentially decisive encounter on October 5.
Sweden 3-1 Poland: Gyökeres keeps scoring
Sweden continued their excellent start to Group B4 with a 3-1 victory over Poland.
Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring before Poland responded through Sebastian Szymański. Yasin Ayari restored Sweden’s advantage before Viktor Gyökeres completed the scoring.
Gyökeres’ goal extended his impressive scoring run for the national team and underlined his growing importance to Sweden’s attacking set-up.
The victory gives Sweden six points from two matches and puts them at the top of the group.
Bosnia and Herzegovina are their closest challengers on four points, while Poland have one point and Romania remain without a point.
Sweden’s next fixture against Bosnia and Herzegovina could therefore have major implications for the battle for first place.
Romania 2-4 Bosnia and Herzegovina: Visitors move into contention
Bosnia and Herzegovina produced one of the night’s most impressive results by defeating Romania 4-2 away from home.
The victory moved Bosnia onto four points after two matches and kept them firmly in the race at the top of Group B4.
Romania, by contrast, have suffered two defeats and sit at the bottom of the section without a point.
With Sweden currently leading the group and Bosnia just two points behind, their upcoming meeting could provide an important early indication of how the promotion race will develop.
Montenegro 3-2 Armenia: Perfect start continues
Montenegro maintained their perfect record in Group C2 after edging Armenia 3-2 in another entertaining contest.
Aleksa Latković scored the decisive goal late in the match as Montenegro secured their second victory in succession.
The result leaves Montenegro with six points from two matches and at the summit of the group.
Armenia have three points, while Cyprus and Latvia have one point each.
Montenegro’s strong opening is particularly important because winning a League C group brings automatic promotion to League B, making every early point valuable.
Other results
Northern Ireland and Hungary played out a goalless draw, while Georgia and Ukraine also shared the points after a 0-0 stalemate.
Latvia and Cyprus produced another scoreless draw.
Monday’s results
- Romania 2-4 Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Sweden 3-1 Poland
- Türkiye 1-4 Italy
- Belgium 0-1 France
- Northern Ireland 0-0 Hungary
- Armenia 2-3 Montenegro
- Georgia 0-0 Ukraine
- Latvia 0-0 Cyprus
What the results mean
The Nations League’s league phase is beginning to take shape after two rounds of matches.
In League A, the top two teams in each group advance to the quarter-finals, while third-placed teams enter promotion/relegation play-offs. Fourth-placed sides are relegated to League B.
In League B, group winners earn promotion to League A, while the bottom teams face relegation to League C.
The same promotion principle applies in League C, where group winners move into League B.
That structure makes the early points particularly important, with teams unable to afford extended losing or winless runs as the league phase progresses.
Tuesday’s fixtures
The competition continues on Tuesday with another eight matches.
5:00pm
- Finland vs Belarus
- Moldova vs Faroe Islands
7:45pm
- Spain vs Croatia
- Czech Republic vs England
- Scotland vs Switzerland
- Slovenia vs North Macedonia
- Slovakia vs Kazakhstan
- San Marino vs Albania
- Bulgaria vs Estonia
- Luxembourg vs Iceland
Spain’s meeting with Croatia headlines the programme, while England’s trip to the Czech Republic and Scotland’s clash with Switzerland also promise significant battles.
With the league phase still in its early stages, Tuesday’s fixtures offer another opportunity for the leading contenders to strengthen their positions and for struggling sides to prevent the gap at the top from widening.
