UEFA Nations League League B - 5 Review 2026

League B round five delivered a compelling mix of close contests and narrow margins, producing 15 goals across eight matches. Three games finished level, but several of the remaining results were equally tight: Scotland secured a 2-1 win over FYR Macedonia, Romania edged Poland 2-1, and Sweden narrowly overcame Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-2. The scoring action was concentrated without hiding the value of resisting defeat when the score remained deadlocked.

The clearest wins came outside the draws. Northern Ireland recorded a 1-0 victory over Ukraine, while Austria also claimed a 1-0 result against the Rep. Of Ireland. Hungary made the strongest away-looking score of the round with a 2-0 win over Georgia, although the scoreline does not change the essential fact that Hungary took the points and Georgia were held scoreless. Slovenia and Switzerland shared a 0-0 draw, as did Kosovo and Israel.

Scotland’s 2-1 success over FYR Macedonia and Romania’s 2-1 win over Poland both provided two-goal attacking displays alongside a concession on the opposing side. Sweden’s 3-2 victory over Bosnia & Herzegovina was the highest-scoring contest, adding an extra layer of drama to a round defined by its many one-goal margins. With five draws in total? No—three of the eight matches ended without a winner, while the other five all produced victories, illustrating how closely contested this League B round proved.

Prediction Scorecard: UEFA Nations League League B Round 5

Our 1X2 record for the round finished at 5/8 correct, or 63%. The successful selections were Scotland at 2-1 against FYR Macedonia, Georgia at 0-2 against Hungary, Northern Ireland at 1-0 against Ukraine, Austria at 1-0 against Rep. Of Ireland, and Sweden at 3-2 against Bosnia & Herzegovina. Each of those predictions was matched by the corresponding scoreline, producing a positive return across different winning margins.

The misses were equally clear. We selected Switzerland to beat Slovenia, but the match finished 0-0. Our home selection for Kosovo against Israel also failed to land, with another 0-0 draw. Romania was the final unsuccessful call: our selection pointed toward Poland winning, yet Romania won 2-1. The contrast between Georgia’s successful 0-2 call and Romania’s unsuccessful 2-1 forecast shows that getting the winner right was not always enough to align the full scoreline with the predicted outcome.

The betting markets delivered an even stronger headline return, with our Over/Under accuracy at 88% and BTTS accuracy at 75%. The scorelines contained several defensive outcomes, including 0-0 draws for Slovenia against Switzerland and Kosovo against Israel, as well as 1-0 results for Northern Ireland against Ukraine and Austria against Rep. Of Ireland. At the other end, Scotland’s 2-1 victory over FYR Macedonia, Romania’s 2-1 win over Poland, and Sweden’s 3-2 defeat of Bosnia & Herzegovina featured goals from both sides. Overall, the 63% 1X2 return formed a solid foundation, while the 88% Over/Under rate supplied the strongest performance category of the round.

Nations League Round: Three Correct Calls and One Notable Upset

Sweden produced the standout attacking result in League B - 5, beating Bosnia & Herzegovina 3-2. The home side’s victory was correctly identified by the pre-match prediction, which favoured Sweden with 66% confidence. This was the only match among the listed results to combine three goals with a narrow margin, and it required Sweden to secure a win despite Bosnia & Herzegovina keeping the contest close.

Romania’s 2-1 defeat of Poland was the clear upset of the round. The prediction had favoured Poland with 56% confidence, but Romania overturned that expectation and claimed a one-goal victory. The result demonstrates the danger of treating even a modest prediction advantage as conclusive: Romania’s win interrupted the forecast and produced the only incorrect prediction in the set.

Scotland also delivered as the forecast indicated, defeating FYR Macedonia 2-1. The prediction for this match carried the strongest confidence level at 81%, and that call was ultimately correct. Scotland’s narrow victory was secured despite FYR Macedonia scoring once, making the result a competitive win rather than a comfortable one. The highest-confidence forecast therefore remained accurate.

Georgia’s 0-2 loss to Hungary provided the round’s other correct pick. The prediction favoured Hungary with 40% confidence, the lowest figure attached to any of the listed forecasts, yet the away side still won. Hungary’s clean-sheet victory contrasted with the other decisive results, while Georgia were unable to find a goal. Across these matches, the predictions were correct in every case except Romania’s surprise win over Poland.

Standings reshaped as the leaders retain momentum

This round left Switzerland and Sweden at the front of League B, with both nations on 13 points from four wins, one draw and no defeats. Their identical records underline how tightly grouped the leading positions remain, while the absence of any defeats also shows that neither has allowed the standings around them to dictate their own results. Switzerland and Sweden enter the next phase in joint possession of the strongest total in the group.

Northern Ireland and Austria sit close behind on 11 points apiece, each having won three matches, drawn twice and remained unbeaten. Their records differ from those of the two leaders in outcome rather than overall consistency: four wins for Switzerland and Sweden compared with three apiece for Northern Ireland and Austria. The four teams therefore form an unbeaten upper group, with only the number of wins separating the first two from their nearest challengers.

Slovenia occupy the next group with eight points from two wins, two draws and one defeat, while Hungary have 10 points after three wins, one draw and one loss. Hungary’s additional victory and reduced number of draws give them the stronger total, although both teams trail the four unbeaten nations. Looking ahead, Switzerland and Sweden must protect their joint advantage, while Northern Ireland and Austria will aim to close the gap without surrendering their unbeaten records. For Slovenia and Hungary, the priority is to build on their winning returns and use the next round to climb into the group immediately above them.