2023 UEFA Nations League Finals

The 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals was the final tournament of the 2022–23 edition of the UEFA Nations League, the third season of the international football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. The tournament was held from 14 to 18 June 2023 in the Netherlands and was contested by the four group winners of Nations League A. The tournament consisted of two semi-finals, a third place play-off and a final to determine the champions of the UEFA Nations League.

Not to be confused with 2023 UEFA Nations League final, the final match of the Nations League.

2023 UEFA Nations League Finals
Finaleronde UEFA Nations League 2023 (in Dutch)
Tournament details
Host countryNetherlands
Dates14–18 June
Teams4
Venue(s)2 (in 2 host cities)
Final positions
Champions Spain (1st title)
Runners-up Croatia
Third place Italy
Fourth place Netherlands
Tournament statistics
Matches played4
Goals scored14 (3.5 per match)
Attendance126,319 (31,580 per match)
Top scorer(s)14 players
(1 goal each)
Best player(s) Rodri

Following their win in 2021, defending champions France were unable to retain their title after finishing third in their group.[1][2]

Spain won the final against Croatia, 5–4 on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time, for their first UEFA Nations League title.

Format

The Nations League Finals took place in June 2023, and were contested by the four group winners of League A. The four teams were drawn into a five-team group (rather than a six-team group) for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying group stage, thereby leaving the June 2023 window available for the Nations League Finals.

The Nations League Finals took place over five days and were played in single-leg knockout matches, consisting of two semi-finals on 14 and 15 June (the first of which featured the host team), and a third place play-off and final three days after the second semi-final on 18 June 2023. The semi-final pairings were determined by means of an open draw. All matches in the tournament utilised goal-line technology and video assistant referee (VAR) systems.[3]

In the Nations League Finals, if the scores were level at the end of normal time:[3]

  • In the semi-finals and final, 30 minutes of extra time would be played. If the score was still level after extra time, the winner would be determined by a penalty shoot-out.
  • In the third place play-off, extra time would not be played, and the winner would be determined by a penalty shoot-out.

Qualified teams

The four group winners of League A qualified for the Nations League Finals.

Group Winners Date of
qualification		 Previous finals
appearances		 Previous best
UNL performance		 UNL Rankings
September 2022		 FIFA Rankings
April 2023
A1  Croatia 25 September 2022 0 (debut) Ninth place (2018–19) 2 7
A2  Spain 27 September 2022 1 (2021) Runners-up (2020–21) 3 10
A3  Italy 26 September 2022 1 (2021) Third place (2020–21) 4 8
A4  Netherlands (host) 25 September 2022 1 (2019) Runners-up (2018–19) 1 6

Host selection

The Netherlands was confirmed as the host country by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting on 29 November 2022.[4] Only League A teams could bid for the Nations League Finals, and only one of the four finals participants would ultimately be selected as hosts. UEFA required the tournament to be played at two Category 4 stadiums, each with at least 30,000 net seating capacity. The stadiums ideally would be located in the same host city or up to approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) apart. UEFA envisioned the larger of the stadiums to host the first semi-final (featuring the host team) and the final. The bidding timeline was as follows:[5]

  • 28 February 2022: Applications formally invited
  • 13 April 2022, 16:00 CEST: Closing date for registering intention to bid (non-binding)
  • 14 April 2022: Bid requirements made available to bidders
  • May 2022: Opening workshop for bidders
  • July/August 2022: Technical calls with bidders
  • 7 September 2022, 16:00 CEST: Closing date for submission of preliminary bid dossier
  • 5 October 2022, 16:00 CEST: Closing date for submission of final bid dossier
  • 29 November 2022: Host appointment by the UEFA Executive Committee

On 13 April 2022, UEFA announced that Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Wales had declared interest in hosting the tournament. As all four associations were in Group A4, the group winner was in line to be appointed as the host, provided that the associations submitted bids which meet UEFA's requirements.[6] Poland and Wales were unable to win Group A4 following their results on 14 June 2022, leaving Belgium and the Netherlands as the remaining potential hosts.[7] On 25 September 2022, the Netherlands won Group A4 over Belgium and advanced to the Nations League Finals,[8] thereby automatically winning hosting rights, which were confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee on 29 November 2022.[4]

Venues

De Kuip in Rotterdam and De Grolsch Veste in Enschede were confirmed as the venues for the tournament on 29 November 2022.[4] Other potential stadiums, such as the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam (the largest in the country) and the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven, were both unavailable for the tournament due to previously scheduled concerts.[9]

 Rotterdam Enschede
De Kuip De Grolsch Veste
Capacity: 51,117 Capacity: 30,205

Draw

The semi-final pairings were determined by means of an open draw on 25 January 2023, 11:00 CET, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[10][11] Former Dutch international Wesley Sneijder, ambassador for the Nations League Finals, drew the match pairings.[12] The first two teams drawn were allocated to match pairing A, while the remaining two teams drawn were allocated to match pairing B. For scheduling purposes, the host team was allocated to the first semi-final as the administrative home team. The administrative home team for both the third place play-off and final were predetermined as the teams which advanced from semi-final 1.[13]

Squads
Main article: 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals squads

Each national team had to submit a squad of 23 players, three of whom had to be goalkeepers, at least ten days before the opening match of the tournament. If a player became injured or ill severely enough to prevent his participation in the tournament before his team's first match, he could be replaced by another player.[3]

Bracket
 
Semi-finalsFinal
 
      
 
14 June – Rotterdam
 
 
 Netherlands2
 
18 June – Rotterdam
 
 Croatia (a.e.t.)4
 
 Croatia0 (4)
 
15 June – Enschede
 
 Spain (p)0 (5)
 
 Spain2
 
 
 Italy1
 
Third place play-off
 
 
18 June – Enschede
 
 
 Netherlands2
 
 
 Italy3

All times are local, CEST (UTC+2).[14]

Semi-finals

Netherlands vs Croatia
Netherlands 2–4 (a.e.t.) Croatia
  • Malen 34'
  • Lang 90+6'
 Report
Attendance: 39,359[15]
Netherlands[16]
Croatia[16]
GK1Justin Bijlow
RB22Denzel Dumfries 85'
CB12Lutsharel Geertruida
CB4Virgil van Dijk (c)
LB5Nathan Aké 106'
CM6Mats Wieffer 75'
CM20Teun Koopmeiners 93'
CM21Frenkie de Jong 38'
RF18Donyell Malen 75'
CF9Cody Gakpo 106'
LF11Xavi Simons 64'
Substitutions:
FW19Wout Weghorst 64'
MF8Georginio Wijnaldum 75'
FW7Steven Bergwijn 75'
FW10Noa Lang 85'
MF15Marten de Roon 106'
DF16Tyrell Malacia 116' 106'
Manager:
Ronald Koeman
GK1Dominik Livaković 90+1'
RB22Josip Juranović 78'
CB6Josip Šutalo 91'
CB21Domagoj Vida
LB14Ivan Perišić
DM11Marcelo Brozović 64'
CM10Luka Modrić (c) 119'
CM8Mateo Kovačić 17' 85'
RW15Mario Pašalić 24'
LW16Luka Ivanušec 78'
CF9Andrej Kramarić 90'
Substitutions:
MF13Nikola Vlašić 78'
DF2Josip Stanišić 78'
MF7Lovro Majer 85'
DF5Martin Erlić 90'
FW17Bruno Petković 91'
DF3Borna Barišić 119'
Manager:
Zlatko Dalić

Man of the Match:
Luka Modrić (Croatia)[17]

Assistant referees:[16]
Vasile Marinescu (Romania)
Ovidiu Artene (Romania)
Fourth official:
Halil Umut Meler (Turkey)
Video assistant referee:
Bastian Dankert (Germany)
Assistant video assistant referee:
Sören Storks (Germany)

Spain vs Italy
See also: Italy–Spain football rivalry
Spain 2–1 Italy
 Report
Attendance: 24,558[18]
Spain[19]
Italy[19]
GK23Unai Simón
RB22Jesús Navas
CB3Robin Le Normand
CB14Aymeric Laporte
LB18Jordi Alba (c) 45+1'
CM16Rodri
CM6Mikel Merino 74'
RW19Rodrigo 46'
AM9Gavi 57' 68'
LW15Yeremy Pino 74'
CF7Álvaro Morata 83' 84'
Substitutions:
FW10Marco Asensio 46'
MF11Sergio Canales 68'
MF8Fabián Ruiz 74'
FW12Ansu Fati 74'
FW20Joselu 84'
Manager:
Luis de la Fuente
GK1Gianluigi Donnarumma
CB13Rafael Tolói
CB19Leonardo Bonucci (c) 46'
CB15Francesco Acerbi
RM2Giovanni Di Lorenzo
CM7Davide Frattesi 76'
CM8Jorginho 60'
CM18Nicolò Barella
LM4Leonardo Spinazzola 46'
CF11Nicolò Zaniolo 90+3'
CF17Ciro Immobile 38' 60'
Substitutions:
DF5Matteo Darmian 46'
DF3Federico Dimarco 46'
FW14Federico Chiesa 60'
MF16Bryan Cristante 60'
MF6Marco Verratti 76'
Manager:
Roberto Mancini

Man of the Match:
Rodri (Spain)[20]

Assistant referees:[19]
Tomaž Klančnik (Slovenia)
Andraž Kovačič (Slovenia)
Fourth official:
Irfan Peljto (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Video assistant referee:
Nejc Kajtazović (Slovenia)
Assistant video assistant referee:
Matej Jug (Slovenia)

Third place play-off
Netherlands 2–3 Italy
 Report
Attendance: 21,292[21]
Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
Netherlands[22]
Italy[22]
GK1Justin Bijlow
RB22Denzel Dumfries
CB12Lutsharel Geertruida 46'
CB4Virgil van Dijk (c)
LB5Nathan Aké
CM6Mats Wieffer 76'
CM21Frenkie de Jong
CM11Xavi Simons 63'
RF18Donyell Malen 46'
CF9Cody Gakpo
LF10Noa Lang 46'
Substitutions:
FW7Steven Bergwijn 46'
MF8Georginio Wijnaldum 46'
FW19Wout Weghorst 90+5' 46'
MF20Teun Koopmeiners 63'
MF17Joey Veerman 76'
Manager:
Ronald Koeman
GK1Gianluigi Donnarumma (c)
RB13Rafael Tolói
CB15Francesco Acerbi 90+5'
CB23Alessandro Buongiorno
LB3Federico Dimarco 34' 74'
CM7Davide Frattesi
CM16Bryan Cristante
CM6Marco Verratti 85'
RF20Wilfried Gnonto 63'
CF9Mateo Retegui 85'
LF22Giacomo Raspadori 63'
Substitutions:
FW14Federico Chiesa 63'
MF11Nicolò Zaniolo 63'
DF4Leonardo Spinazzola 74'
MF18Nicolò Barella 90+2' 85'
MF10Lorenzo Pellegrini 85'
Manager:
Roberto Mancini

Man of the Match:
Federico Dimarco (Italy)[23]

Assistant referees:[22]
Mahbod Beigi (Sweden)
Andreas Söderqvist (Sweden)
Fourth official:
Kristo Tohver (Estonia)
Video assistant referee:
Bartosz Frankowski (Poland)
Assistant video assistant referee:
Paweł Pskit (Poland)

Final
Main article: 2023 UEFA Nations League final
Croatia 0–0 (a.e.t.) Spain
Report
Penalties
 4–5
Attendance: 41,110[24]
Croatia[25]
Spain[25]
GK1Dominik Livaković
RB22Josip Juranović 112'
CB6Josip Šutalo
CB5Martin Erlić
LB14Ivan Perišić
DM11Marcelo Brozović
CM10Luka Modrić (c)
CM8Mateo Kovačić
RW15Mario Pašalić 61'
LW16Luka Ivanušec 78'
CF9Andrej Kramarić 90+1'
Substitutions:
FW17Bruno Petković 90+2' 61'
MF13Nikola Vlašić 78'
MF7Lovro Majer 90+1'
DF2Josip Stanišić 112'
Manager:
Zlatko Dalić
GK23Unai Simón
RB22Jesús Navas 97'
CB3Robin Le Normand 78'
CB14Aymeric Laporte
LB18Jordi Alba (c)
CM16Rodri 97'
CM8Fabián Ruiz 78'
RW10Marco Asensio
AM9Gavi 81' 87'
LW15Yeremy Pino 66'
CF7Álvaro Morata 66'
Substitutions:
FW12Ansu Fati 66'
FW20Joselu 66'
MF6Mikel Merino 78'
DF4Nacho 96' 78'
FW21Dani Olmo 87'
DF2Dani Carvajal 97'
Manager:
Luis de la Fuente

Man of the Match:
Marcelo Brozović (Croatia)[26]

Assistant referees:[27]
Stefan Lupp (Germany)
Marco Achmüller (Germany)
Fourth official:
Ivan Kružliak (Slovakia)
Video assistant referee:
Marco Fritz (Germany)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Sven Jablonski (Germany)
Stuart Attwell (England)

Statistics

Goalscorers

There were 14 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 3.5 goals per match.

1 goal

Awards

Player of the Tournament

The Player of the Finals award was given to Rodri, who was chosen by UEFA's technical observers.[28]

Goal of the Tournament

The Alipay Goal of the Tournament was decided by online voting. A total of four goals were in the shortlist, chosen by UEFA's technical observers: Federico Dimarco (against Netherlands), Donyell Malen (against Croatia), Mario Pašalić (against Netherlands) and Bruno Petković (against Netherlands). Petković won the award for his goal in the semi-final.[29]

Rank Goalscorer Opponent Score Result Round
Bruno Petković  Netherlands 3–2 4–2 (a.e.t.) Semi-finals
— Federico Dimarco  Netherlands 1–0 3–2 Third place play-off
— Donyell Malen  Croatia 1–0 2–4 (a.e.t.) Semi-finals
— Mario Pašalić  Netherlands 2–1 4–2 (a.e.t.) Semi-finals

Discipline

A player would have been automatically suspended for the next match for receiving a red card, which could have been extended for serious offences. However, no players received a suspension during the Nations League Finals.[30][31] Yellow card suspensions did not apply in the Nations League Finals, including any pending suspensions from the league phase, while yellow cards issued were not carried forward to any other future international matches.[3]

References
  1. "France's Nations League final four hopes vanish with Croatia defeat". Reuters. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  2. "Croatia end France's Nations League hopes". BBC Sport. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  3. "Regulations of the UEFA Nations League, 2022/23". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 September 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  4. "Netherlands to host 2023 UEFA Nations League finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  5. "UEFA Nations League Finals 2023 – invitation to bid" (ZIP). UEFA Circular Letter. No. 9/2022. Union of European Football Associations. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  6. "Four bidders declare interest in hosting 2022/23 UEFA Nations League finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  7. "Permutations: Who needs what to reach the UEFA Nations League finals?". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 27 June 2022. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  8. "Netherlands 1–0 Belgium: Virgil van Dijk scores as Dutch qualify for Nations League finals". BBC Sport. 25 September 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  9. Vlietstra, Bart (28 September 2022). "Nations League mag handen dichtknijpen met Nederland, Spanje, Italië en Kroatië in finaleronde" [Nations League can squeeze hands with the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Croatia in the final round]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  10. "UEFA Nations League finals draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  11. "UEFA Nations League finals draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  12. Martínez, Ferran (25 January 2023). "Spain will face Italy in the Nations League semifinals". Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  13. "2023 UEFA Nations League Finals | Press Kit" (PDF). UEFA. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  14. "UEFA Nations League Finals 2023 Match Schedule" (PDF). UEFA. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  15. "Netherlands vs. Croatia" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  16. "Tactical Line-ups – Semi-finals – Netherlands v Croatia" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  17. Pettit, Mark (14 June 2023). "Netherlands 2–4 Croatia (aet): Vatreni win classic in extra time". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  18. "Spain vs. Italy" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  19. "Tactical Line-ups – Semi-finals – Spain v Italy" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  20. Pettit, Mark (15 June 2023). "Spain 2–1 Italy: Joselu sends La Roja back to final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  21. "Netherlands vs. Italy" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  22. "Tactical Line-ups – Third-place match – Netherlands v Italy" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  23. "Netherlands v Italy | UEFA Nations League 2023". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023. Italy's Dimarco has been named the Player of the Match. UEFA's Technical Observer Panel praised his showing this afternoon, highlighting his play at both ends of the pitch: "He scored a spectacular first goal and was heavily involved in the second. He also defended solidly: blocking shots, stopping crosses and making crucial tackles."
  24. "Croatia vs. Spain" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  25. "Tactical Line-ups – Final – Croatia v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  26. Pettit, Mark (18 June 2023). "Spain win Nations League: Croatia edged out on penalties". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  27. "Patience pays off for Rotterdam referee Zwayer". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  28. "Rodri named 2023 UEFA Nations League Player of the Finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  29. "Goal of the Tournament". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  30. "UEFA Nations League 2023: Booking List before Semi-finals" (PDF). UEFA. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  31. "UEFA Nations League 2023: Booking List before Final and Third-place match" (PDF). UEFA. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
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