Home Nations & EFL Round-Up: Nations League, League One and League Two Results

It was a home nations weekend on the international stage, with England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all opening their 2026/27 UEFA Nations League campaigns.

Back on home soil, that meant no Premier League and no Championship football at all — both are three weeks into an extended international break that runs from 21 September to 10 October, the longest pause the top two divisions have had all season.

League One and League Two mostly carried on regardless. Here's everything that mattered, starting with the four home nations.

England: Tuchel's first Nations League test ends in a Wembley defeat

Thomas Tuchel's first competitive fixture in charge of England could hardly have started worse.

Marc Guehi lost the ball inside two minutes, and Lamine Yamal punished it instantly. England responded well — Anthony Gordon equalised from a Jude Bellingham counter-attack, and Harry Kane headed in from an O'Reilly cross to make it 2-1 at half-time.

Spain, the reigning world champions, had other ideas.

Substitute Alex Baena levelled with a composed finish just after the hour, then set up Mikel Oyarzabal's winner in the 74th minute with a defence-splitting pass.

England 2-3 Spain.

Kane did have a chance to make it 3-1 from the penalty spot, but his effort struck the frame of the goal. A tough opener for Tuchel's Nations League reign, against about as difficult an opponent as it gets.

Scotland: a new era begins with a point in Slovenia

Sebastien Pocognoli took charge of Scotland for the first time since replacing Steve Clarke after seven years in the job, and it showed almost immediately.

Out went Clarke's deeper, cautious setup. In came a bold 3-5-2, with Aaron Hickey and Andy Robertson pushed on as attacking wing-backs and even centre-back Jack Hendry encouraged to break forward.

It took Scotland time to adjust. Slovenia hit the post and spurned good chances of their own in the first half as Scotland found their feet in the new system.

The second half told a different story. Oli McBurnie squandered a one-on-one and saw a header saved point-blank, Robbie Ure struck the post, and Kieron Bowie was denied by veteran goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

Slovenia 0-0 Scotland.

"Once we got used to the formation, we looked really good," McBurnie said afterwards. "We put them under waves of pressure." A point, and a promising glimpse of what Pocognoli's Scotland could become.

Scotland fans can browse the live Scottish Teams collection.

Wales: Felix sinks Wales as Ronaldo is denied

Wales' Nations League defence of their group got off to a losing start in Lisbon.

Joao Felix scored the only goal of the game as Portugal edged out Wales 1-0, with Cristiano Ronaldo also seeing an effort chalked off by VAR on the night.

Portugal 1-0 Wales.

It's a tight group, and one bad night in Lisbon against the European champions is far from a disaster — but Wales will want a response when the group resumes.

Northern Ireland: the Charles brothers deliver a dramatic win in Georgia

If any home nation had a weekend to remember, it was Northern Ireland.

Michael O'Neill's young side went to Georgia and won it in the most dramatic fashion possible — and kept a clean sheet doing it.

Goalkeeper Pierce Charles saved a penalty from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the 64th minute to keep the scores level. Then, deep into stoppage time, his brother Shea Charles won it at the other end, meeting a Trai Hume cross with a last-gasp volley in the 99th minute.

Georgia 0-1 Northern Ireland.

A family affair, a first win of the new Nations League campaign, and exactly the kind of result O'Neill will hope gives his "promising young team" belief heading into Euro 2028 qualifying.

Northern Ireland supporters can browse the live Northern Irish Teams collection.

Back on home soil: a quiet weekend for the Premier League and Championship

With all four home nations occupied, England's top two divisions had nothing scheduled at all this weekend.

League One and League Two, though, mostly played on — even if international call-ups caused some chaos of their own further down the football pyramid. Bradford City's home game with Barnsley was pushed back to November. Doncaster's meeting with Oxford United now won't happen until mid-December. Sheffield Wednesday didn't play a league match all weekend either, their trip to Stevenage postponed for the same reason.

So the leaders of both English divisions sat this one out. But for everyone else, there was still a full weekend of football — and some of it mattered a great deal.

Plymouth's night to go top ends in defeat

Plymouth Argyle knew a win at Home Park would send them to the top of League One.

Instead, they lost.

Burton Albion's Jack Armer struck in the second half, pouncing on a loose ball after Plymouth goalkeeper Murphy Cooper had somehow kept out Caylan Vickers' effort.

Plymouth 0-1 Burton Albion.

It wasn't for lack of trying. In-form striker Bim Pepple, who had scored four goals in his previous four games, couldn't find a way through. Caleb Watts headed straight at Burton keeper Corey Addai. Charlie Webster crashed a shot off the crossbar. Xavier Amaechi fired over when clean through late on.

None of it mattered. Burton held on, and Plymouth's route to the summit will have to wait.

Plymouth supporters can find their range in the live Plymouth Argyle collection.

Stockport climb to third as Wootton strikes again

Stockport County don't seem to be missing a beat.

Kyle Wootton scored his sixth goal of the season to beat a struggling Peterborough United side 1-0, moving the Hatters up to third in League One.

Peterborough remain deep in trouble. Manager Luke Williams was sacked earlier this month after a home defeat to Doncaster, and this latest loss does nothing to ease the pressure building at London Road.

For Stockport, it's the opposite story. Grafting out a win against a team fighting relegation is exactly the sort of result promotion-chasing sides need to find.

Cambridge rescued deep in stoppage time

Cambridge United looked set to lose at home to AFC Wimbledon until the 92nd minute.

Jayden Stockley had put Wimbledon ahead in the 30th minute, converting Dujuan Richards' cross after shrugging off a challenge from Cathal Heffernan.

Cambridge dominated possession for long spells without carving out clear chances. Then, deep into stoppage time, Zak Bradshaw raced onto Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu's cross at the far post and steered it home.

Cambridge United 1-1 AFC Wimbledon.

A share of the points that felt, in the end, a lot more like a win for the home side.

York City's remarkable home run goes on

Down in League Two, York City continue to look like the story of the season.

Joe Grey opened the scoring inside two minutes, meeting an Ollie Pearce cross at the back post. Gillingham's afternoon got worse when Zane Albarus was shown a second yellow card in the 70th minute, and York punished them twice in quick succession — Jovan Malcolm driving in from outside the box, then Pearce adding a third from close range.

York City 3-0 Gillingham.

The Minstermen haven't lost a league match at the LNER Community Stadium since last October, a run now closing in on a full year. For a club back in the Football League after so long away, that kind of home fortress is exactly the foundation a promotion push gets built on.

Salford put four past Oldham

Salford City's unbeaten run rolled on in some style at Boundary Park.

Oldham Athletic 1-4 Salford City.

The result lifted Salford up to seventh in League Two and left Oldham with plenty to think about after a chastening afternoon in front of their own supporters.

Rotherham's recovery continues under Bruce

Rotherham United fell behind to a 20th-minute own goal at home to Crewe Alexandra, but levelled before half-time through a trademark Paul Mullin finish.

Rotherham United 1-1 Crewe Alexandra.

A draw, in isolation, is nothing to shout about. In context, it's another sign of life. The Millers are now unbeaten in the fourth tier at home, with just one defeat in their last eight games — not bad for a club still finding its feet after relegation from League One, and doing it with eight players missing through injury and international call-ups.

Manager Alex Bruce will have wanted more than a point. But the trajectory at New York Stadium is pointing the right way.

Rotherham supporters can browse the live Rotherham United collection.

A quiet weekend at the top of the EFL too

Bradford City go into October still top of League One, Sheffield Wednesday still second, and neither kicked a ball this weekend.

Doncaster Rovers, fresh off their first league win of the season a fortnight ago, didn't play either.

Barnet's league-best unbeaten run in League Two stayed exactly where it was too — frozen for another week by the same round of call-ups and postponements.

The live Bradford City collection, Sheffield Wednesday collection and Doncaster Rovers collection are all still there whenever the next round of fixtures arrives.

From Wembley to Georgia to Boundary Park, football found a way

Four home nations, four very different Saturdays. A dramatic loss for England, a promising new era for Scotland, a tight defeat for Wales, and a family affair to remember for Northern Ireland.

Further down at home, the big clubs went quiet — but there was still a stoppage-time winner, a three-goal teenager-inspired away day, a manager under pressure losing again, and a club settling back into a division it hasn't seen in years and looking entirely at home there.

Whichever nation or club has your attention this week, there's a matchday-ready range waiting in the Stadium Series and Football Casual T-Shirts & Terrace Clothing collection.