Portugal and Spain are contesting the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League final in Munich after coming through their respective semis.
Thursday, June 5, 2025
How did UEFA Nations League finalists Portugal and Spain make it all the way to the Munich showpiece?
Portugal will face Spain in Sunday’s UEFA Nations League final in MunichAFP via Getty Images
Portugal and Spain are contesting the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League final in Munich after coming through their respective semis.
Portugal (2019) and Spain (2023) are bidding to become the first team to win the tournament twice. UEFA.com checks out the contenders’ road to the final.
Nations League Finals fixtures
Semi-finals
Wednesday 4 June: Germany 1-2 Portugal (Munich Football Arena)
Thursday 5 June: Spain 5-4 France (Stuttgart Arena)
Match for third place
Sunday 8 June: Germany vs vs France (Stuttgart Arena, 15:00 CET)
Final
Sunday 8 June: Portugal vs Spain (Munich Football Arena, 21:00 CET)
Portugal
How they got this far
A first victory against Germany since EURO 2000 has got Portugal’s tails up. After winning their opening three league phase matches, the Seleção wrapped up qualification with a five-goal second-half deluge against Poland on Matchday 5. The attacking firepower at Roberto Martínez’s disposal was evident again in the quarter-final second leg, albeit after extra time against Denmark. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, was on the winning side against Germany for the first time in his senior career, hitting the winner in the semi-finals.
05/09/24: Portugal 2-1 Croatia
08/09/24: Portugal 2-1 Scotland
12/10/24: Poland 1-3 Portugal
15/10/24: Scotland 0-0 Portugal
15/11/24: Portugal 5-1 Poland
18/11/24: Croatia 1-1 Portugal
20/03/25: Denmark 1-0 Portugal
23/03/25: Portugal 5-2 Denmark (agg: 5-3, aet)
04/06/25: Germany 1-2 Portugal
Spain
How they got this far
An impressive 4-1 success in Switzerland on Matchday 2, despite playing for 70 minutes with ten men, underlined the quality Luis de la Fuente has in his ranks. La Roja ended the league phase with 16 points – the most of any team – and the joint-best defensive record with only four goals conceded.
It was a surprise then that they appeared so porous in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands, particularly in the second leg where they surrendered the lead three times. The Nations League holders and EURO 2024 winners found a way once again, though, squeezing through on penalties. They once again reasserted themselves in a hugely entertaining semi-final triumph over France.
05/09/24: Serbia 0-0 Spain
08/09/24: Switzerland 1-4 Spain
12/10/24: Spain 1-0 Denmark
15/10/24: Spain 3-0 Serbia
15/11/24: Denmark 1-2 Spain
18/11/24: Spain 3-2 Switzerland
20/03/25: Netherlands 2-2 Spain
23/03/25: Spain 3-3 Netherlands (agg: 5-5, 5-4 pens)
05/06/25: Spain 5-4 France
The tournament itself, which runs qualification over a two-year period, has replaced the much-maligned and ever-more meaningless list of friendlies between nations on the continent, providing competitive games to keep club-focused players interested during the global international breaks.
The way the two semifinals have played out has built even greater anticipation for the already notable final, and added weight to the Nations League value as a warm-up competition between the more prestigious World Cups and UEFA European Champions, both of which take place every four years.
On the meeting with Ronaldo in the final, Yamal remarked after the win against France: “Playing against Cristiano? He’s a football legend. I’ll do my job, which is to win the game, and that’s it.”
