The Nations League conclusion brims with intrigue. This final match features neighboring nations with a rich shared history. It pits forerunner Cristiano Ronaldo in his age-40 form against precocious 17-year-old Lamine Yamal. The winner celebrates a well-deserved trophy lift, and Munich should be buzzing for Sunday’s final.
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How to watch Spain vs. Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final
- Venue: Allianz Arena — Germany
- Time: Sunday, 3 p.m. ET, 21:00 CET
- TV: FOX
- Streaming (U.S.): Fubo (try for free)
International streaming via RTVE Play and UEFA.tv (Spain), RTP and Sport TV (Portugal), TF1+ (France), Prime Video UK (United Kingdom) and ARD Sportschau (Germany).
This Iberian-inspired finale will mint the Nations League’s first two-time champ. Portugal won the inaugural tournament in 2019, and Spain is the incumbent winner, having triumphed in 2023.
Roberto Martinez and the Portuguese have scrapped their way to this international showpiece. They dropped the first leg of their quarterfinal versus Denmark, then needed extra-time second-leg goals from Francisco Trincão and Gonçalo Ramos to advance. Portugal was down 1-0 at intermission of the semifinal tilt with Germany, then surged back with consecutive second-half scores off the boots of Francisco Conceição (63′) and Cristiano Ronaldo (68′). Wednesday marked the country’s first victory over Germany since 2000.
A win on Sunday would partially alleviate the negative sentiment surrounding Portugal’s underperformance in the 2024 Euros.
Spain remains the favorite to repeat, though. The semifinal with France was memorable, as Spain edged out a 5-4 thriller that had seven second-half goals.
The hype and folklore around Yamal grew again on Thursday. He scored twice and consistently attacked the French defense, skewing the pitch in Spain’s favor with his aggressive runs. La Roja enjoyed a 4-0 lead before palpitations late in the match. Luis de la Fuente rolls with the archetypal Spanish of possession play, but this year’s team is also fast-paced and a bit more stylish.
Nations League matches have been wide open on the pitch, as compared to the more conservative and risk-averse flow of World Cups and Euros. Sunday’s showdown should be a blast to watch.
Spain vs. Portugal from the New York Times archive, 2012:
“Spain has been criticized as boring at the European Championships, admonished as too defensive. But these are only opinions. Nothing really counts but the objective measure of the final score. While Spain became unnerved by Portugal’s pressure in the semifinals on Wednesday, it never came unraveled or undone.
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The match remained scoreless through 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime. Still, Spain remained resilient, impenetrable, its chances placed in doubt but with no sense of concession. It showed a champion’s resolve — and luck — and prevailed by 4-2 on penalty kicks. The victory was tenuous but also impressive in Spain’s lack of panic and its sustaining durability of purpose.” — Jeré Longman
2018:
“Topping what occurred on Friday is no simple task. Twice, Portugal led. Twice, Spain recovered, before Nacho Fernández scored the sort of goal that is supposed to be beyond the skill of a stand-in right back. The goal gave Spain the lead for the first time in the match and put Fernando Hierro, the Spanish coach, on course for an immense victory only one game, and two days, into his job. And then Cristiano Ronaldo, yet again, intervened.” — Rory Smith
Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of Lamine Yamal: Alex Grimm / Getty Images)
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