England secure Nations League quarter-final spot but seeding hinges on Spain result

England have secured their place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals following a hard-fought victory over Croatia at Wembley, with Thomas Tuchel’s side now turning their attention to a crucial final group game against Spain in Madrid on Sunday.

The result means England are guaranteed to feature in the last eight of the 2026/27 Nations League regardless of what happens in the Spanish capital, but the stakes remain high. A win over the world champions would see England finish top of Group A3 and enter the quarter-final draw as one of four seeds.

The draw itself is scheduled for 11am GMT on Friday 20 November, with League A group stage results still to be finalised across the international break before the full picture becomes clear.

What the draw could look like for England

England’s potential opponents in the quarter-finals depend entirely on whether they finish first or second in their group.

Should Tuchel’s side top Group A3, they would face a second-placed team from one of the other three groups. As things stand, those opponents could be France, Greece, or Denmark.

If England finish as runners-up, they would instead be drawn against one of the four group winners — currently Italy, the Netherlands, or Portugal among the likely candidates.

The quarter-finals will be played as two-legged ties, with the winners advancing to a condensed finals tournament. That event is scheduled to take place between 9 and 13 June 2027, at a venue yet to be confirmed, with the semi-finals and final both hosted across the same week.

League A/B and League B/C promotion and relegation play-offs will also be drawn alongside the quarter-final pairings, with those matches set for March 2027.