UEFA Nations League Betting Guide – Friday 25 September 2026

The second night of the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League brings four intriguing fixtures, including two huge League A contests and two League B matches with plenty of attacking talent on show.

There is also a strong post-World Cup storyline running through the evening. Türkiye, France, Belgium and Sweden all featured at the 2026 World Cup, while Italy and Romania are trying to rebuild after missing out.

And there are some major managerial debuts.

Zinédine Zidane takes charge of France for the first time, Roberto Mancini begins his second spell with Italy, and Mark van Bommel makes his Belgium debut. Romania are also beginning a new chapter under Gheorghe Hagi.

Türkiye vs France

Friday 25 September – 7:45pm

Zidane’s France era starts in a difficult place

This is one of the most fascinating matches of the Nations League opening round.

France arrive having gone all the way to the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup, eventually losing 2-0 to Spain before a remarkable 6-4 defeat to England in the third-place play-off. Kylian Mbappé finished the tournament with 10 goals.

But that World Cup campaign belonged to Didier Deschamps.

Now comes the Zidane era.

The former France midfielder takes charge of Les Bleus for the first time after Deschamps’ departure. Zidane has not managed since leaving Real Madrid in 2021, where he won three consecutive Champions League titles during his first spell.

Türkiye’s World Cup story

Türkiye also reached the 2026 World Cup but were eliminated in the group stage.

They lost 2-0 to Australia and 1-0 to Paraguay before finishing with a 3-2 win over the USA. They will therefore be keen to start a new international cycle much better.

There is plenty of attacking quality for Vincenzo Montella to work with.

Arda Güler is the obvious player to watch. The Real Madrid midfielder has already registered one goal and three assists in six La Liga appearances this season.

Then there is Kenan Yıldız, whose ability to carry the ball through midfield and attack from wide areas gives Türkiye another route into the game.

France, meanwhile, have Mbappé, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé among their attacking weapons. Olise has started the season particularly well, with four goals and two assists in four Bundesliga matches.

The tactical battle

Türkiye are unlikely to simply sit back.

Their strength is their ability to transition quickly through Güler and Yıldız, while France have enough pace and individual quality to punish an aggressive defensive line.

One interesting statistic is that Türkiye have conceded before the 30th minute in each of their last four internationals.

France’s concern is that this is Zidane’s first competitive game. A new manager can bring fresh ideas, but the team will inevitably need time to develop its patterns.

The standout market: France to win

The price is obviously important here — France are around 4/9 in the current market, so the straight win isn’t particularly attractive for an accumulator on its own.

But the footballing argument is clear.

France have considerably more depth, Mbappé is coming off a ten-goal World Cup and Olise is in excellent club form.

Türkiye are dangerous enough to make this uncomfortable, particularly at home, but France should have enough attacking quality to begin the Zidane era with three points.

Prediction: Türkiye 1-2 France

Players to watch: Arda Güler & Kylian Mbappé

Italy vs Belgium

Friday 25 September – 7:45pm

Mancini returns — and Italy have something to prove

Italy’s absence from the 2026 World Cup still hangs over this team.

They reached the play-off final but lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties after a 1-1 draw. It was their third consecutive failure to reach a World Cup, making this Nations League campaign the start of a major rebuild.

And now Roberto Mancini is back.

The man who led Italy to Euro 2020 glory begins his second spell with the Azzurri, and he has already made it clear that he wants to refresh the squad.

There are nine first-time call-ups in his squad, showing just how much Mancini wants to look towards the next generation.

Italy’s players to watch

Nicolò Barella remains hugely important because of his ability to press, carry the ball and arrive late into attacking positions.

But the really interesting player is Francesco Pio Esposito.

The young Inter striker has already scored five goals in nine Italy appearances, and he gives Mancini a genuine focal point up front.

Of course, Gianluigi Donnarumma remains one of the world’s elite goalkeepers and gives Italy a strong foundation behind the new-look side.

Belgium’s new era

Belgium also have a new manager.

Mark van Bommel takes charge for the first time, replacing Rudi Garcia.

Belgium actually had a respectable World Cup, topping their group before beating Senegal and the USA in the knockout rounds. Their tournament eventually ended with a 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Spain.

But this is a different Belgium.

Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku are all unavailable for this match, leaving Van Bommel with a considerably different-looking team.

That makes the tactical side fascinating.

Belgium’s traditional approach has often relied on individual quality to unlock teams, whereas Van Bommel’s first task will be establishing structure and understanding in a team that is missing some of its biggest names.

The standout market: Under 2.5 Goals

This is the game where I wouldn’t rush towards BTTS.

Italy are beginning a new cycle and Mancini is likely to want structure first.

Belgium are also under a new manager and are missing some of their most influential attacking players.

The previous Nations League meeting between these sides finished 2-2, but the circumstances are very different this time.

With Italy at home and both sides adjusting to new managers, this has the ingredients of a fairly controlled opening.

Prediction: Italy 1-0 Belgium

Players to watch: Nicolò Barella & Francesco Pio Esposito

Georgia vs Northern Ireland

Friday 25 September – 5:00pm

Kvaratskhelia gives Georgia the X-factor

This is a really interesting League B fixture.

Georgia missed the 2026 World Cup after a difficult qualifying campaign, losing five of their six matches in the group. Willy Sagnol remains in charge and now has the Nations League as an opportunity to rebuild.

The obvious difference-maker is Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

The PSG winger has the ability to completely change a game on his own. He can receive wide, cut inside and create chances or attack the box himself.

Giorgi Mamardashvili is another key player. The Liverpool goalkeeper gives Georgia an extremely strong last line of defence.

There is also Georges Mikautadze, who offers movement and finishing through the middle.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland come into the game after gaining promotion to League B.

They didn’t qualify for the World Cup either, but Michael O’Neill’s side have a promising group of younger players.

Isaac Price is one to watch in midfield, while Dion Charles and Callum Marshall give Northern Ireland different options in attack.

However, Northern Ireland are missing captain Conor Bradley, while Ali McCann and Brad Lyons are also unavailable.

That is significant against a Georgia side whose biggest strength is individual attacking quality.

The standout market: Georgia to win

Georgia are around 17/20 for the home win, with Northern Ireland around 19/5.

That’s much more interesting to me than trying to manufacture a goals market.

Kvaratskhelia gives Georgia the best individual attacking player on the pitch, Mamardashvili provides security behind him and home advantage should help.

Northern Ireland are capable of making this competitive, but Georgia have the attacking player capable of deciding it.

Prediction: Georgia 2-0 Northern Ireland

Players to watch: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia & Isaac Price

Sweden vs Romania

Friday 25 September – 7:45pm

Sweden return from the World Cup

Sweden have arguably the most interesting attacking partnership of the four matches.

They qualified for the 2026 World Cup through the play-offs and reached the knockout stage after finishing third in their group.

They beat Tunisia 5-1 and drew 1-1 with Japan, although they also suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat against the Netherlands before France eliminated them 3-0 in the round of 32.

And that gives Graham Potter a lot to work with.

Isak and Gyökeres

Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres give Sweden an incredibly dangerous front two.

They offer slightly different qualities.

Isak can drop deeper, link play and attack spaces, while Gyökeres is devastating when he gets room to run at defenders.

Behind them, Lucas Bergvall offers technical quality and energy from midfield.

Sweden are not simply a defensive counter-attacking side anymore. Potter has encouraged a more flexible style with the wing-backs helping create width while the two forwards attack central areas.

Romania’s new chapter

Romania missed the World Cup and are now beginning a new era under Gheorghe Hagi, who was appointed earlier this year.

Hagi is obviously one of the biggest names in Romanian football history, and his challenge is to get Romania competing again.

Ianis Hagi remains an important creative player, while Dennis Man gives Romania pace and directness from wide areas.

But Sweden’s attacking options could prove difficult to contain.

The standout market: Sweden to win

Sweden are currently around 1.44 to win with some bookmakers, although other books are offering closer to 1.91, showing how important it is to shop around rather than accepting the first price.

The straight win is therefore only interesting at the better end of that range.

Sweden have home advantage, more proven attacking quality and the Isak-Gyökeres partnership gives them a significant threat.

Romania are beginning a new era themselves, so there is uncertainty around how quickly Hagi’s ideas will translate onto the pitch.

Prediction: Sweden 2-0 Romania

Players to watch: Alexander Isak & Viktor Gyökeres

Friday’s Nations League Predictions

Friday Accumulator

France to win
Under 2.5 Goals — Italy v Belgium
Georgia to win
Sweden to win

Final thoughts

This is actually a really nice four-game combination because the reasoning is different for each selection.

France have the biggest quality advantage but are starting a new era under Zidane.

Italy are rebuilding under Mancini while Belgium are also beginning with Van Bommel, making a cagey opening particularly interesting.

Georgia have the individual brilliance of Kvaratskhelia and home advantage against a Northern Ireland side missing several important players.

And Sweden have one of the most dangerous attacking partnerships in European international football in Isak and Gyökeres.

As always, the predictions are based on the information available before kick-off. Odds can move considerably, so the actual price should be checked before deciding whether a selection makes sense for an accumulator.

For more football statistics, trends and algorithm-based probabilities, FootballBetEdge’s Statly brings the numbers together so you can assess the markets yourself.

Clarity. Insight. Your edge.