England are on course for their best ever performance in the Nations League, having beaten the Czech Republic twice and Croatia during the autumn international break.
Including its inaugural season in 2018/19, the Three Lions have competed in every single Nations League campaign, experiencing some highs and the lowest of lows. From topping their group and qualifying for the Nations League finals and finishing third to suffering a shock relegation in 2022/23 and then immediate promotion, England have done almost everything except win the competition.
England's path to the quarter-finals
Having started the 2026/27 campaign with a loss to Spain, despite leading 2-1 at one stage, England bounced back in style by beating the Czechs twice and then thumping Croatia 7-0 to put themselves in a great position to advance to the quarter-finals.
Whether that be as group winners or runners-up will ultimately be determined during this international break, but Thomas Tuchel's side have positioned themselves well to qualify for the Nations League knockout stage with two games remaining.
How England can qualify
The victory against Czech Republic at Wembley last month has practically guaranteed England a top-two finish in Nations League A, Group 3. They are not technically into the knockout stages just yet, though, but mathematically, it is nigh-on impossible for Croatia to jump above them.
Croatia would need to defeat the Three Lions by eight unanswered goals at Wembley on Thursday to stop Tuchel's men progressing. As such, England, six points clear of their rivals, can pretty much consider themselves qualified for the last eight.
Potential quarter-final opponents
The four group winners will face the four runners-up in a two-legged Nations League quarter-final. The group winners will all be seeded and will have home advantage in their respective second leg ties. Teams from the same group cannot be paired together in the knockout stage, therefore England and Spain - for example - would be kept apart.
As things stand, if England finish second in Group 3, their potential Nations League quarter-final opponents would be France, Netherlands or Portugal. Topping the group would set up a possible quarter-final showdown with Italy, Greece or Denmark.
When is the draw?
The draw for the 2026/27 Nations League quarter-final will take place on Friday, November 20, with the ties scheduled to take place in March 2027.
