Women's Nations League: League stage draw

The league stage draw for the second edition of the UEFA Women's Nations League has been made in Nyon by UEFA managing director of women's football Nadine Kessler and former England player Fara Williams.

The 53 participating teams (including Gibraltar and Liechtenstein, both entering their first senior women's competition, contributing to a record entry) are divided into three leagues (two of 16 and the other of 21) on the basis of the 2024 Women's European Qualifiers overall phase rankings.

The league stage will determine which four teams progress to the finals (which will now be played as two-legged ties) and also promotion and relegation between the leagues ahead of the European Qualifiers phase for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.

• The four League A group winners will contest the UEFA Nations League finals.
• Automatic promotion and relegation will see the group winners of Leagues B and C promoted, while the fourth-placed teams of Leagues A and B, as well as the two lowest-ranked third-placed teams of League B (27 to 28 in the overall league rankings), are relegated.
• Promotion and relegation matches, played on a home-and-away basis, will be disputed by the third-placed teams of League A and the League B runners-up for a position in League A, while the two best-ranked third-placed teams of League B, ranked 25 to 26 in the overall league rankings, will play the two best-ranked League C runners-up, ranked 39 to 40 in the overall league rankings, for a position in League B.

2025 UEFA Nations League calendar

League stage 
Matchdays 1 & 2: Between 19 and 26 February 2025
Matchdays 3 & 4: Between 2 and 8 April 2025
Matchdays 5 & 6: Between 28 May and 3 June 2025

Finals 
Draw: 6 June 2025, Nyon (date TBC)
Semi-finals (two legs): Between 22 and 28 October 2025
Final/third-place play-off (two legs): Between 26 November and 2 December 2025

Promotion/relegation play-offs
Draw: 6 June 2025, Nyon (date TBC)
Matches (two legs): Between 22 and 28 October 2025

How do the groups work?

All matches in the league stage are played according to a league system, with each team playing one home match and one away match against each of the other teams in their group. Three points are awarded for a win, one for a draw and none for a defeat.

Who plays in the UEFA Women's Nations League finals?

The four League A group winners qualify for the knockout finals.

Who is promoted or relegated or goes into play-offs?

League A

The top two teams in each group will remain in League A for the European Qualifiers for the 2027 Women's World Cup.

The four third-placed teams play off against the second-placed teams in each group of League B. The winners of each tie will play in League A for the European Qualifiers phase; the defeated teams will play in League B.

The fourth-placed teams are relegated to League B.

League B

The four group winners are promoted to League A.

The four second-placed teams play against the third-placed teams in League A. The winners of each tie will play in League A; the defeated teams will play in League B.

The two best third-placed teams play off against the two best-ranked second-placed teams of League C. The winners will play in League B for the European Qualifiers phase; the defeated teams will play in League C.

The two lowest-ranked third-placed teams and the four fourth-placed teams are relegated to League C.

League C

The six group winners are promoted to League B.

The two best-ranked second-placed teams play off against the two best third-placed teams of League B. The winners will play in League B for the European Qualifiers phase; the defeated teams will play in League C.

The remaining teams stay in League C.

How do the UEFA Women's Nations League finals work?

The finals will be played as two-legged ties, with two semi-finals, a third-place play-off and a final. A draw will determine the semi-final ties and the home team in each of the first legs.

The final winners are declared the UEFA Women's Nations League winners.

Promotion/relegation matches

All ties are played over two legs, with the pairings determined by a draw. The third-placed teams are seeded for the draw and play their respective second-leg matches at home.

How the Women's Nations League draw worked

The draw started with League C, followed by League B and League A.

League C: Three groups of four teams and three group of three teams

Based on the 2024 Women's European Qualifiers overall phase rankings, the 21 teams were divided into four draw pots as follows:

Pot 1: Slovakia, Azerbaijan, Malta, Israel, Kosovo, Luxembourg
Pot 2: Montenegro, Georgia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Armenia
Pot 3: North Macedonia, Estonia, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Cyprus
Pot 4: Andorra, Gibraltar, Liechtenstein

Based on UEFA Executive Committee decisions valid at the time of the draw, Azerbaijan and Armenia could not be drawn in the same group.

To minimise teams' travel burden, Kazakhstan could be drawn in a group with only one of the following: Malta, Faroe Islands, Andorra, Gibraltar.

The draw started with Pot 1, which contained six balls. The drawn teams were assigned to the groups in ascending order from C1 to C6, unless a draw condition applied.
• A first ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group C1
• A second ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group C2
• A third ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group C3
• A fourth ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group C4
• The fifth ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group C5
• The sixth ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group C6

The draw continued with Pot 2 and Pot 3 and followed the same rules as described above for Pot 1.

The draw continued with Pot 4, which contained three balls. The drawn teams were assigned to the groups in ascending order from C1 to C3, unless a draw condition applied.
• A first ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group C1
• A second ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group C2
• A third ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group C3

League B: Four groups of four teams

Based on the 2024 Women's European Qualifiers overall phase rankings, the 16 teams were divided into four draw pots as follows:

Pot 1: Finland, Czechia, Republic of Ireland, Poland
Pot 2: Serbia, Ukraine, Northern Ireland, Türkiye
Pot 3: Croatia, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia
Pot 4: Romania, Belarus, Greece, Albania

Based on UEFA Executive Committee decisions valid at the time of the draw, Ukraine and Belarus could not be drawn in the same group.

The draw started with Pot 1, which contained four balls. The drawn teams were assigned to the groups in ascending order from B1 to B4, unless a draw condition applied:
• A first ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group B1
• A second ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group B2
• A third ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group B3
• The fourth ball was drawn and the team assigned to Group B4

The draw continued with Pot 2, Pot 3 and Pot 4 and followed the same rules as described above for Pot 1.

League A: Four groups of four teams

Based on the 2024 Women's European Qualifiers overall phase rankings, the 16 teams were divided into four draw pots as follows:

Pot 1: Spain (holders), Germany, France, Italy
Pot 2: Iceland, Denmark, England, Netherlands
Pot 3: Sweden, Norway, Austria, Belgium
Pot 4: Portugal, Scotland, Switzerland, Wales

The draw for League A followed the same procedure as for League B.