Nations League quarter-finals: Croatia and Denmark complete League A qualifiers

Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain have all secured places in the new UEFA Nations League quarter-finals after topping their League A groups in the 2024/25 edition.

Group A1

Croatia joined group winners Portugal in progressing from Group A1, while Scotland narrowly missed out on a quarter-final place despite earning a late win in Warsaw. Joško Gvardiol's second-half header cancelled out João Félix’s opener to earn Croatia a 1-1 draw with Portugal in Split and confirmed their status as runners-up. Scotland just missed out on the last eight, but Andy Robertson's added-time winner saved them from automatic relegation – a fate that befell their Matchday 6 opponents Poland.

Fixtures and results
05/09 Portugal 2-1 Croatia
05/09 Scotland 2-3 Poland
08/09 Croatia 1-0 Poland
08/09 Portugal 2-1 Scotland
12/10 Croatia 2-1 Scotland
12/10 Poland 1-3 Portugal
15/10 Poland 3-3 Croatia
15/10 Scotland 0-0 Portugal
15/11 Portugal 5-1 Poland
15/11 Scotland 1-0 Croatia
18/11 Croatia 1-1 Portugal
18/11 Poland 1-2 Scotland

Group A2

Two Adrien Rabiot goals made the difference as France avenged their 3-1 home loss to Italy on Matchday 1 with a victory by the same scoreline in Milan, a result that earned Les Bleus top spot in the section. Israel claimed a first win in the group against Belgium on the same night but could not avoid finishing bottom.

Fixtures and results
06/09 Belgium 3-1 Israel
06/09 France 1-3 Italy
09/09 France 2-0 Belgium
09/09 Israel 1-2 Italy
10/10 Italy 2-2 Belgium
10/10 Israel 1-4 France
14/10 Belgium 1-2 France
14/10 Italy 4-1 Israel
14/11 Belgium 0-1 Italy
14/11 France 0-0 Israel
17/11 Israel 1-0 Belgium
17/11 Italy 1-3 France

Group A3

Netherlands progressed to the last eight with a commanding 4-0 win against Hungary on Matchday 5 while Germany, who were already sure of a place in the quarter-finals, won the section with a 7-0 victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Hungary will face a play-off tie while Bosnia have been relegated.

Fixtures and results
07/09 Germany 5-0 Hungary
07/09 Netherlands 5-2 Bosnia and Herzegovina
10/09 Hungary 0-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
10/09 Netherlands 2-2 Germany
11/10 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-2 Germany
11/10 Hungary 1-1 Netherlands
14/10 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-2 Hungary
14/10 Germany 1-0 Netherlands
16/11 Germany 7-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
16/11 Netherlands 4-0 Hungary
19/11 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 Netherlands
19/11 Hungary 1-1 Germany 

Group A4

A goalless draw in Leskovac left Denmark delighted and Serbia frustrated as the visitors joined group winners Spain in the quarter-finals. Crucial Kasper Schmeichel saves kept the hosts at bay and their search for a breakthrough was hindered further when Strahinja Pavlović was sent off in the 90th minute. Meanwhile in Tenerife, Spain beat Switzerland 3-2 in a thrilling contest decided by Bryan Zaragoza's late penalty, though the home side had already assured their quarter-final spot on Matchday 5 while automatic relegation was guaranteed for the visitors before kick-off.

Fixtures and results
05/09 Denmark 2-0 Switzerland
05/09 Serbia 0-0 Spain
08/09 Denmark 2-0 Serbia
08/09 Switzerland 1-4 Spain
12/10 Serbia 2-0 Switzerland
12/10 Spain 1-0 Denmark
15/10 Spain 3-0 Serbia
15/10 Switzerland 2-2 Denmark
15/11 Denmark 1-2 Spain
15/11 Switzerland 1-1 Serbia
18/11 Serbia 0-0 Denmark
18/11 Spain 3-2 Switzerland

How League A of the 2024/25 Nations League worked

League A contained 16 teams, drawn into four groups of four. Teams played all their group opponents home and away in September, October and November 2024. Where they finished determined what happened next:

1st and 2nd: Qualify for the two-legged quarter-final stage in March 2025, with the four winners progressing to the finals in June.

3rd: Face runners-up from League B in home-and-away promotion/relegation play-offs. The aggregate winners will be in League A for 2026/27, with the losers in League B.

4th: Relegated to League B