UEFA Nations League: League Phase draw
Monday, January 1, 2018
Article summary
How the draw works.
Article body
League A
Pot 1: Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain
Pot 2: France, England, Switzerland, Italy
Pot 3: Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
- Teams will be split into four groups of three, with the group winners then contesting the UEFA Nations League Finals (semi-finals, third-place match and final) in June 2019 to become the UEFA Nations League winners. One host country will be appointed in December 2018 from among the finalist teams.
- The four teams that finish bottom of their groups will be relegated to League B for the 2020 edition.
- The top four ranked teams that do not qualify for UEFA EURO 2020 will enter a play-off in March 2020, with one finals place on offer.
League B
Pot 1: Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia
Pot 2: Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Pot 3: Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
- Teams will be split into four groups of three.
- Due to a decision of the UEFA Executive Committee, Russia and Ukraine cannot be draw in the same group.
- The four group winners are promoted to League A, with the four sides that finish bottom relegated to League C for the next competition to be played in 2020.
- The top four ranked teams that do not qualify for UEFA EURO 2020 will enter a play-off in March 2020, with one finals place on offer
League C
Pot 1: Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia
Pot 2: Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway
Pot 3: Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland
Pot 4: Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
- Teams will be split into one group of three (containing teams from Pots 1, 2 and 3 only) and three groups of four.
- Due to winter venue restrictions, a group can contain a maximum of two of these teams: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania.
- The four group winners are promoted to League B, with the the three fourth-placed teams and the lowest-ranking third-placed team in League C relegated to League D.
- The top four ranked teams that do not qualify for UEFA EURO 2020 will enter a play-off in March 2020, with one finals place on offer.
League D
Pot 1: Azerbaijan, FYR Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia
Pot 2: Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg
Pot 3: Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta
Pot 4: Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
- Teams will be split into four groups of four.
- Due to a decision of the UEFA Executive Committee, Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be draw in the same group.
- Due to excessive travel restrictions, any group can contain a maximum of one of these pairs: Andorra & Kazakhstan, Faroe Islands & Kazakhstan, Gibraltar & Kazakhstan, Gibraltar & Azerbaijan
- The four group winners are promoted to League C for the 2020 edition.
- The top four ranked teams that do not qualify for UEFA EURO 2020 will enter a play-off in March 2020, with one finals place on offer.
How the pots were determined
- The 55 participating teams were split according to their position in the UEFA National Team Coefficient Rankings following the end of the European Qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup (as per 11 October 2017, play-off results not included).
- League A includesthe 12 top-ranked teams. The next 12 teams are in League B, the next 15 in League C and the remaining 16 in League D.
- The seeding pots were then further determined by the coefficients so each group within each league contains one team from each pot.
UEFA Nations League calendar
Group stage draw: 24 January 2018 (12:00 CET), Lausanne
Matchday 1: 6–8 September 2018
Matchday 2: 9–11 September 2018
Matchday 3: 11–13 October 2018
Matchday 4: 14–16 October 2018
Matchday 5: 15–17 November 2018
Matchday 6: 18–20 November 2018
Finals draw: tbc
Finals: 5–9 June 2019
UEFA EURO 2020 play-off draw: 22 November 2019
UEFA EURO 2020 play-offs: 26–31 March 2020
Teams in three-sided groups will play on four of the six matchdays.