The Nations League’s group stage has finished with promotion, relegation and play-offs all settled.
The competition was created to remove the unpopular friendlies from the calendar by replacing them with meaningful fixtures – and as before, it will be partially linked with European qualification for the next World Cup in 2026.
Sky Sports takes a look at UEFA’s newest competition and everything you need to know about the latest edition…
What do we know so far from the Nations League?
Qualified for finals: France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Croatia, Spain, Denmark
Relegation from League A to League B: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Poland, Switzerland
League A/B play-offs: Belgium, Hungary, Scotland, Serbia, Austria, Greece, Turkey, Ukraine
Promotion from League B to League A: England, Norway, Wales, Czech Republic
League B/C play-offs: Georgia, Iceland, Republic of Ireland, Slovenia, Armenia, Bulgaria, Slovakia
Relegation from League B to League C: Finland, Kazakhstan, Montenegro, Albania
Promotion from League C to League B: North Macedonia, Sweden, Romania, Northern Ireland
Relegation from League C to D: Lithuania, Azerbaijan
League C/D play-offs: Latvia, Luxembourg, Gibraltar, Malta
Promotion from League D to League C: Moldova, San Marino
So how does the finals of the Nations League work?
The Nations League has been expanded with an additional knockout round to be played in March 2025.
The League A group winners and runners-up will participate in home-and-away quarter-finals between March 20-25, with the winners of these ties qualifying for the finals next June.
Any other changes to the format?
Furthermore, the third-ranked teams of League A and the runners-up of League B, as well as the third-ranked teams of League B and the runners-up of League C, will play a home-and-away promotion/relegation play-off.
There will also be play-offs between the two best-ranked fourth-placed teams from League C and the two runners-up from League D.
So when are the Nations League finals?
The finals – to be staged by one of the four nations that qualify – are set to take place in June 2025.
The semi-finals will take place on June 4/5. The winners progress to the final on June 8, while the two beaten semi-finalists will face off for third place earlier on the same day.
When is the draw for the promotion/relegation play-offs?
The draw for the promotion/relegation play-offs will be held on November 22, 2024 along with the draw for the League A quarter-finals.
Do teams qualify for World Cup 2026 through Nations League?
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The road to Canada, Mexico and the United States technically starts here. When it comes to the draw for World Cup Qualification, each national team involved will also be placed in a ranked table, based on the performance in the 2024/25 Nations League.
Essentially, the four highest-ranked teams who do not then secure an automatic place at the 2026 World Cup will be granted a play-off safety net.
For 2026 World Cup Qualifying, there will be 12 groups of either four or five teams. Only the group winners will qualify automatically for the tournament.
The 12 group runners-up and four best Nations League group winners, based on the Nations League overall ranking, will be drawn into four play-off paths, playing two rounds of single-match play-offs (semi-finals with the seeded teams to host, followed by finals, with the home teams to be drawn).
The four path winners will qualify for the World Cup finals.
Nations League 2024/25 draw in full
League A
- Group A1: Croatia, Portugal, Poland, Scotland.
- Group A2: Italy, Belgium, France, Israel.
- Group A3: Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Group A4: Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, Serbia.
League B
- Group B1: Czech Republic, Ukraine, Albania, Georgia.
- Group B2: England, Finland, Republic of Ireland, Greece.
- Group B3: Austria, Norway, Slovenia, Kazakhstan.
- Group B4: Wales, Iceland, Montenegro, Turkey.
League C
- Group C1: Sweden, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Estonia.
- Group C2: Romania, Kosovo, Cyprus, Lithuania.
- Group C3: Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Northern Ireland, Belarus.
- Group C4: Armenia, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, Latvia.
League D
- Group D1: Gibraltar, San Marino, Liechtenstein.
- Group D2: Moldova, Malta, Andorra.
Scotland fixtures
Scotland 2-3 Poland
Portugal 2-1 Scotland
Croatia 2-1 Scotland
Scotland 0-0 Portugal
Scotland 1-0 Croatia
Poland 1-2 Scotland
England fixtures
Republic of Ireland 0-2 England
England 2-0 Finland
England 1-2 Greece
Finland 1-3 England
Greece 0-3 England
England 5-0 Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland fixtures
Republic of Ireland 0-2 England
Republic of Ireland 0-2 Greece
Finland 1-2 Republic of Ireland
Greece 2-0 Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland 1-0 Finland
England 5-0 Republic of Ireland
Wales fixtures
Wales 0-0 Turkey
Montenegro 1-2 Wales
Iceland 2-2 Wales
Wales 1-0 Montenegro
Turkey 0-0 Wales
Wales 4-1 Iceland
Northern Ireland fixtures
Northern Ireland 2-0 Luxembourg
Bulgaria 1-0 Northern Ireland
Belarus 0-0 Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland 5-0 Bulgaria
Northern Ireland 2-0 Belarus
Luxembourg 2-2 Northern Ireland
Nations League 2024/25 schedule
- Knockout round play-off draw: November 2024
- Knockout round play-offs: March 20-25 2025
- League A quarter-finals: March 20-25 2025
- Final tournament: June 4-8 2025
Source : Sky Sports
