Contenders Set Sights on ‘Big Titles’ as Nations League Final Four Begins
The Nations League semi-finals start on Wednesday with Germany, Spain, France and Portugal seeking to fine tune their sides with the World Cup just one year away. Tournament hosts Germany face Portugal in Munich on Wednesday and title holders Spain face France in Stuttgart a day later. The winners will face off in the Bavarian capital on Sunday. Created in 2018, the Nations League lacks the history and esteem of football's major international tournaments and has been criticised for adding to an already crowded calendar. But as Spain and France have shown in recent years, the competition can be a perfect launchpad to reach greater heights.
France's Nations League triumph in 2021 came just over a year before their run to the World Cup final in Qatar, where they lost on penalties to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina. Spain, runners-up against France in 2021, beat Croatia on penalties to win the 2023 Nations League; a year later, the Spanish were crowned Euro 2024 champions. While some of the larger nations have fielded experimental line-ups, recent winners have used the tournament to develop and improve. Of the final four, only Germany are yet to win a Nations League title, with Portugal's success coming in the opening tournament in 2019.
Germany captain Joshua Kimmich will be handed his 100th international cap on Wednesday. The Bayern Munich midfielder is the 14th Germany player to reach the milestone, but will become the only member of the 100 club not to have won a World Cup. Kimmich said Monday he "had a couple more chances" to correct the stat and said the Nations League would show how much progress Germany had made, after a disappointing decade. "If it's enough for the really big titles, we don't know, it depends on a lot of factors." World Cup winners in 2014, Germany crashed out of the following two World Cups at the group stage.
Their best result since a Euros semi-final in 2016 was going out in the quarters to eventual champions Spain at Euro 2024. "We want to go into the (World Cup) well prepared. We've said a few times that the preparation doesn't start two weeks before, rather it's already started," Kimmich said. "When we now compete in two internationals successfully, we can show we're still on a good path." Kimmich's sentiment was echoed by coach Julian Nagelsmann on Friday, who said "we would love to win titles and keep feeding our self-confidence. "Even if it's only a small title, for us as a group it's very important... Confidence and trust are fragile elements that require constant nourishment."
Coming at the end of a long club season, each of the final four are nursing injuries. Already without Jamal Musiala, Antonio Rudiger and Nico Schlotterbeck, Germany lost Jonathan Burkardt, Nadiem Amiri and Yann Bisseck to injury over the weekend. France are missing first choice defenders Dayot Upamecano, William Saliba and Jules Kounde, along with Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, while six players will be involved after Saturday's Champions League final. Opponents Spain elected not to name Rodri in their Nations League squad, wanting not to rush the reigning Ballon d'Or winner as he returns from his cruciate injury.
Veteran Portugal talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, 40, has been named despite missing three of his past six club matches for Al Nassr with muscle complaints. Four players will join the Portuguese squad after lifting the Champions League title with Paris Saint-Germain: Nuno Mendes, Vitinha, Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos. Portugal midfielder Rubin Neves acknowledged the strain on top players, but told the Portuguese FA on Sunday "when we reach this type of competition, at this level, tiredness takes a back seat. "Tiredness is left behind and our main focus is to win the two games and win the Nations League. "We have all the tools available to be at our best."
