BOLOGNA — Italy closed out UEFA Nations League Matchweek 4 with a 3-1 home win over Türkiye in Bologna on Monday, the headline result of a six-match slate that also delivered road wins for Hungary and Sweden, a narrow Bosnian victory over Poland, and two goalless draws. It was the final group-stage window of the 2026/27 competition — played by 54 teams from September 24 through November 17 — before the November internationals decide everything.
The 2026/27 campaign is the fifth edition of the Nations League, UEFA's biennial competition that replaced most international friendlies with competitive group-stage football. Fifty-four national teams are taking part this time around, and the group stage runs from late September through November 17 — which is why the November internationals will decide everything, with no more room for slip-ups.
The Azzurri's 3-1 result was the night's biggest winning margin, and it sets up a mouthwatering November date: Italy host France on November 12. The faces of this Italy side keep changing, but Federico Chiesa remains one of its most recognizable attacking figures — the direct, high-energy winger whose willingness to run at defenders has defined some of Italy's best recent nights. Alongside him, Nicolò Barella's all-action midfield game gives the Azzurri their tempo. When Italy click through players like these two, they are a problem for anyone — and France will find that out in November.
In Bucharest, Sweden left Romania with a 1-0 win and a clean sheet to show for the trip. It was the kind of result that travels well: a shutout on the road, three points banked, no drama. Sweden's attacking conversation starts and ends with Alexander Isak, the striker whose combination of size, touch and finishing has made him the focal point of everything Sweden do in the final third. When Isak is on the pitch, Sweden always carry a threat — and Romania found no answer on Monday.
Hungary's night was arguably the most impressive of the road winners. Their 2-1 victory over Ukraine was staged in Trnava, Slovakia, and winning on the road is never simple, wherever the game is technically played. Dominik Szoboszlai remains Hungary's headline act, the midfielder whose set-piece delivery and long-range shooting give Hungary a weapon most mid-tier European sides simply do not have. Two goals on the road, three points, and momentum heading into November.
In Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina ground out a 1-0 home win over Poland — and in a group-stage competition like this one, home clean sheets are currency. Poland drew a blank on the night, with Robert Lewandowski's side unable to find a breakthrough against a disciplined Bosnian back line. For a striker of Lewandowski's stature — one of the most prolific goalscorers of his generation — a shutout like that will sting. For Bosnia, it was a job professionally done.
Elsewhere on Monday, defenses ruled. Montenegro and Armenia played out a 0-0 draw in Podgorica, and Northern Ireland and Georgia did the same in Belfast — two goalless stalemates that kept both sets of back fours happy and both sets of attackers frustrated. In a competition where every point shapes the November picture, a clean sheet on the road is never a bad night's work.
Then, on Tuesday morning, the matchweek's outlier: Kazakhstan and the Faroe Islands shared four goals in a 2-2 draw in Astana, finishing while most of Europe was still having breakfast. It was the only game of the matchweek with goals at both ends — matching Italy's 3-1 over Türkiye as the joint-highest-scoring game of the round.
Italy
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Romania
Ukraine
Montenegro
Northern Ireland
Kazakhstan
November: the heavyweights arrive
Matchweek 5 is scheduled for November 12-14, and the fixture list is stacked. On November 12, Italy host France — the glamour tie of the window — while Türkiye host Belgium, England face Croatia, and the Czech Republic take on Spain. On November 13, Serbia meet Germany, the Netherlands face Greece, and Portugal take on Denmark. On November 14, Norway face Wales, Sweden meet Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Austria take on Ireland.
Portugal's November date with Denmark carries its own subplot: Cristiano Ronaldo's international future remains an open question, with the door left entirely in his hands, as Previously reported. Denmark will not care about the sideshow — they will see a Portugal side in transition as an opportunity.
For the winners of Matchweek 4, November is where the group stage gets decided. Italy's reward for beating Türkiye is a home date with France. Sweden's clean sheet in Bucharest is followed by a home meeting with Bosnia and Herzegovina — the same Bosnia side that shut out Lewandowski's Poland. Hungary's road win in Trnava sets the tone for whatever comes next. The 2026/27 UEFA Nations League runs through November 17, and the November internationals are where these groups will be won and lost.
All fixtures are scheduled as listed — lineups, venues and kickoff times to be confirmed by UEFA. For more European football, see Previously Sports and today's Soccer Daily roundup.
Türkiyevs
Belgium
Englandvs
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SpainItalyvs
France
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NetherlandsvsGreece
PortugalvsDenmarkSwedenvsBosnia and HerzegovinaReporting this story is based on
- UEFA Nations League — official competition page
UEFA — 2026/27 season
