England and Wales are playing their final two games before flying 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 final at the inaugural tournament four years ago but are in serious danger of relegation from League A this time after a disastrous summer in which they took just two points from four games.
Despite a respectable draw against Germany in Munich and a point shared with Italy in June, Gareth Southgate’s side were beaten home and away by Hungary, including a humiliating 4-0 at Molineux.
That result, England’s heaviest home defeat since 1928, put the pressure on Southgate, who will be hoping for significantly 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 flight of the Nations League, but they too are struggling and are on course for relegation to League B with just one point from their four games.
To be fair to Rob Page and his players, they had far more pressing matters to attend to during the final round of Nations League games, which coincided with their World Cup play-off final against Ukraine. A 1-0 win in Cardiff secured Wales their first World Cup spot since 1958.
They play Belgium in Brussels before hosting Poland in Cardiff, where they can certainly expect an enthusiastic farewell from the fans in their last game before they meet the USA in Qatar on 21 November.
Elsewhere, Scotland meet the Republic of Ireland in Glasgow, while Northern Ireland host Kosovo at Windsor Park before traveling to Greece for the final.
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 one final from 14-18 June 2023.
How to watch Nations League games
England fixtures
Italy vs England
- Date: Friday 23 September
- Kicking off: 7.45 p.m
- TV channel: Channel 4, coverage begins at 7 p.m
- Live broadcast: 4oD
England versus Germany
- Date: Monday, September 26th
- Kicking off: 7.45 p.m
- TV channel: Channel 4, coverage begins at 7 p.m
- Live broadcast: 4oD
Wales fixtures
Belgium vs Wales
- Date: Thursday 22 September
- Kicking off: 7.45 p.m
- TV channel: S4C, coverage begins at 7:25 p.m
- Live broadcast: elite sport 1
Wales vs Poland
- Date: Sunday 25 September
- Kicking off: 7.45 p.m
- TV channel: S4C, coverage begins at 7:15 p.m
- Live broadcast: elite sport 1
Scotland fixtures
Scotland vs Ukraine
- Date: Wednesday 21 September
- Kicking off: 7.45 p.m
- TV channel: ITV 4, coverage starts at 7pm
- Live broadcast: ITV Hub and Premier Sports 1
Scotland vs Republic of Ireland
- Date: Saturday 24 September
- Kicking off: 7.45 p.m
- TV channel: elite sport 1
- Live broadcast: elite sport 1
Ukraine vs Scotland
- Date: Tuesday, September 27th
- Kicking off: 7.45 p.m
- TV channel: elite sport 1
- Live broadcast: elite sport 1
Games in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland vs Kosovo
- Date: Saturday 24 September
- Kicking off: 17 o’clock
- TV channel: elite sport 1
- Live broadcast: elite sport 1
Greece vs Northern Ireland
- Date: Tuesday, September 27th
- Kicking off: 7.45 p.m
- Live broadcast: Free sports
Republic of Ireland games
Republic of Ireland vs Armenia
Date: Thursday, September 27th
Kicking off: 7.45 p.m
TV channel: elite sport 1
Live broadcast: elite sport 1
Southgate under pressure
For those present in Molineux on that desolate night in June, it felt like the beginning of the end of Southgate’s tenure in England. The mood has unmistakably turned against the most successful English manager in over half a century.
As always, there have been the usual moans and groans about Southgate’s latest squad, which includes a number of players – particularly in defence – who have barely played for their clubs earlier this season.
“This is a bigger squad than normal and part of the reason is that we are very close to a World Cup and we feel that although our results were disappointing over the summer we have played for a long time based on form and ability selected,” Southgate explained.
“Obviously we have a number of players including Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips who don’t play many minutes with their club. It’s not ideal, but we believe they were and can be important players for us. It’s not a perfect situation, but there’s still a lot of football to be played before Qatar.”
England squad complete
goalkeeper: Dean Henderson, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale.
defender: 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.
midfield player: Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse.
Forward: 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 have prioritized veteran internationals over less proven players, with Brentford’s uncapped forward Ivan Toney being the exception to the rule.
Toney has started the season in fine form, having scored five goals in his first seven Premier League games and is currently in pole position to be Harry Kane’s backup in Qatar.
Tottenham defender Eric Dier has been recalled after a two-year absence, while Jordan Henderson has replaced Kalvin Phillips, who is out through injury.
Full length Nations League matches
Wednesday 21 September
League B: Group 1
Thursday 22 September
League A: Group 1
- Croatia vs Denmark
- France versus 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 versus Gibraltar
League D: Group 2
Saturday 24 September
League A: Group 2
- Czech Republic vs Portugal
- Spain vs Switzerland
League B: Group 1
- Armenia vs Ukraine
- Scotland vs Irish republic
League B: Group 2
League B: Group 4
- Slovenia vs Norway
- Serbia vs Sweden
League C: Group 2
- Northern Ireland against 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 against 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, September 26th
League A: Group 3
- England against 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
Tuesday, September 27th
League A: Group 2
- Portugal vs Spain
- Switzerland versus the Czech Republic
League B: Group 1
- Irish republic against Armenia
- Ukraine vs Scotland
League B: Group 2
League B: Group 4
- Norway vs Serbia
- Sweden vs Slovenia
League C: Group 2
- Greece vs Northern Ireland
- Kosovo vs Cyprus
