The UEFA Nations League final takes center stage in Europe every couple of years, serving up an alternative major tournament to the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Championship.
Since the tournament's first edition in 2018–19, the Nations League has replaced a bulk of international friendlies, with UEFA's primary intention to have more meaningful matches when club football isn't on.
The best games of the tournament usually come in the final four, when the top national teams of the season meet for the semi-finals and final a week after the club season comes to an end.
Three different Nations League champions have been crowned to date, with Portugal the only country to win the competition twice—they did so in 2025 after beating previous holders Spain 5–3 in a penalty shootout following a 2–2 draw that featured a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo.
Below is a look at the countries to have won the UEFA Nations League and how the finals unfolded.
UEFA Nations League Full List of Winners
Portugal defeated the Netherlands to become the first UEFA Nations League champions in the summer of 2019. Playing at home at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1–0 thanks to Gonçalo Guedes's first international goal. The trophy was Cristiano Ronaldo's second major piece of silverware with Portugal.
France came from behind and defeated Spain to win the title in 2020–21. After falling behind thanks to a goal from Mikel Oyarzabal, Les Bleus responded. First, Karim Benzema levelled the match and then Kylian Mbappé scored the winner at San Siro to crown France champions.
Spain got their revenge in 2022–23, defeating Croatia 5–4 on penalties after neither team could find the back of the net for 120 minutes. Dani Carvajal scored the winning penalty at Stadion Feijenoord in the Netherlands and Luis de la Fuente began his tenure as manager of the national team with a trophy in his first major tournament.
Portugal and Spain then contested the 2024–2025 final, having seen off Germany and France in the semi-finals, and they also couldn't be separated after a 2–2 draw. Goalkeeper Diogo Costa was the hero in the resulting penalty shootout, saving Alvaro Morata's effort to hand Roberto Martinez's side the title.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as UEFA Nations League Winners by Year: Complete List of Past Champions.
