Spain to defend the Nations League against Norway, Ireland and Switzerland, with four Los Angeles 2028 places at stake

Spain now know who they will face first in the defence of their crown. The league-phase draw for the 2027 UEFA Women's Nations League, held on Tuesday in Nyon, Switzerland, placed the two-time champions in Group A1 alongside Norway, the Republic of Ireland and Switzerland. The competition kicks off in late February and, beyond the title, it puts Europe's four places at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games on the line.

No giants, but no gift either

Sonia Bermúdez's side went into the draw as top seeds: they sat in Pot 1 of League A with Germany, Denmark and France after finishing first in their qualifying group for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. That allowed them to avoid England, the Netherlands, Italy and Sweden, the toughest names in Pots 2 and 3.

The group features Norway, Ireland, who came out of Pot 3, and Switzerland, whom Spain knocked out in the quarter-finals of Euro 2025, as Europa Press recalls. The other three League A groups look like this:

• Group A2: France, England, Austria and Portugal.
• Group A3: Denmark, Italy, Iceland and Wales.
• Group A4: Germany, Netherlands, Sweden and Scotland.

All 54 UEFA member associations take part, split into three leagues according to the 2026 European Qualifiers rankings: 16 in League A, 16 in League B and 22 in League C.

What is at stake

The four League A group winners go through to the finals, decided over two-legged ties: semi-finals in October, then the final and third-place play-off between late November and early December 2027. According to the RFEF, this edition will also decide which four European teams go to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and will set the leagues for Euro 2029 qualifying.

That second point comes with fine print: the top two in each League A group stay in the top tier for Euro qualifying, the third-placed teams face a two-legged play-off against the League B runners-up, and the bottom teams are relegated outright.

The calendar

• Matchdays 1 and 2: between 23 February and 6 March 2027.
• Matchdays 3 and 4: between 13 and 24 April 2027.
• Matchdays 5 and 6: between 7 and 15 June 2027.
• Semi-finals (two legs): between 4 and 12 October 2027.
• Final and third-place play-off (two legs): between 23 November and 4 December 2027.

One detail matters: Spain will finish the group stage in mid-June, days before starting the defence of their world title in Brazil.

The only team to win both editions

Spain are the only side ever to lift the Women's Nations League, and they have done it in both editions played so far. The first came on 28 February 2024 with a 2-0 win over France at La Cartuja in Seville. The second arrived on 2 December 2025 with a 3-0 victory over Germany at the Metropolitano in Madrid in front of 55,843 fans, a record attendance for a senior women's national team match. It was also Sonia Bermúdez's first title as head coach.

Before thinking about Norway, the team close the year with two friendlies with a South American flavour: Chile on 28 November at the Reino de León, and Venezuela on 4 December at Riazor.

Sources: UEFA, RFEF, Europa Press (via Infobae), Reinas del Balón, VAVEL.