The inaugural UEFA Nations League starts on September 6, with 55 European nations competing in four separate leagues. Each league contains four groups, containing either three or four nations, with teams playing each other home and away. The new competition features promotion and relegation, with the four group winners in League A contesting the UEFA Nations League finals in 2019. Four Euro 2020 places are also up for grabs via play-offs in 2020. England face Spain on Saturday in the opening round of fixtures, live on Sky Sports, while Northern Ireland host Bosnia and Herzegovina. Scotland play Belgium in an international friendly on Friday before they open their Nations League campaign at home to Albania on September 10. Meanwhile, Wales and the Republic of Ireland meet at the Cardiff City Stadium on Thursday. Click here for our comprehensive guide to the new competition or watch the video at the top of the page.<doc-sep>UEFA Nations League Anthem: The full lyrics for European football's newest song As European football ushers in a new era of the international game, UEFA has a brand new anthem to greet its arrival The inaugural UEFA Nations League is kicking off this autumn as 55 teams from across Europe take to the field in a bold new international competition. Spain, Germany, England and more will all be involved in the venture, which not only sees a trophy up for grabs, but coveted places at the European Championship as well. UEFA commissioned a unique anthem to herald the arrival of the Nations League to the international calendar and it is sure to be heard across the continent throughout the tournament. Composed by Dutch musicians Giorgio Tuinfort and Franck van der Heijden, the anthem was recorded with the Netherlands Radio Choir and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra The anthem was played publicly for the first time at the UEFA Nations League draw in January 2018. "The brief that UEFA gave was to compose a piece that would both symbolise the unity and also the emotion that comes with a very serious competition," Tuinfort told UEFA.com. "These football players, even though they fight [on the pitch], they still unite people and this is the most important message for us." The lyrics of the song are predominantly Latin, with English peppered in at the end of a couple of verses. You can see the full lyrics (with an English translation) below and the song can be listened to here. UEFA Nations League Anthem lyrics Solum audax (Only the bold) Solum fortis (Only the courageous) Solum magnus (Only the great) The Nations League Cui manet fortuna? (Who will have fortune?) O, cui aeterna gloria? (Oh, who gets the eternal glory?) Sit optimo victoria! (May the best win!) Dies luxit (The time has come!) Una! (Unite!) Lude! (Play!) Certa! (Struggle!) Una! (Unite!) Praesta! (Lead!) Vince! (Win!) Omnes gentes! (All people!) Iunctae gentes! (People unite!) Omnes gentes! (All people!) Hanc in lucem (Stand in the light) Omnes gentes! (All people!) Fortes gentes! (Strong people!) Una prodite (One purpose) Excellite (Excel) Omnes gentes! (All people!) Iunctae gentes! (People unite!) Omnes gentes! (All people!) Consistite (Stand together) Omnes gentes! (All people!) Iunctae Nationes! (All nations unite!) Dies venit (The time has come!) O, dies luxit (Oh, new day!) The Nations League<doc-sep>90'+9' GAME OVER! Spain very lucky there. They took the foot off the pedal there. 90'+9' Maguire heads down to Kane but De Gea gathers. 90'+9' One more chance for England. Trippier whipped it in. Ramos cleared. 90'+7' Corner. 90'+7' Ref says it was a free. 90'+7' Ball in the back of the net. De Gea jumped up to gather the ball and Welbeck got in his way, he dropped the ball, and Welbeck scored. 90'+4' Rose booked for late kick on Carvajal. 90'+4' Rodrigo has an effort from miles out. He curls it over the bar. Nice opportunity for Spain, kind of wasted by Rodrigo. 90'+3' Isco with a very deep cross to the back post. Ramos drives the shot over the bar and wide. Nick contact but poor result. 90'+2' Marinez with a cross down the left. That's out for a corner. 90' Nine minutes of added time! 88' Inigo Martinez on for Marcos Alonso. 88' Isco pulled back by Lingard. 87' Corner comes in and Maguire meets it at the back post. He heads down and wide. 86' Spain have almost given up or something? Really strange one. 85' De Gea with another excellent save. Rashford was offside but that was an incredible save. 84' Ball across the box to Alonso from Carvajal and he drives it out of danger. Dangerous game that Spain are playing at times. 83' There's a late and silly tackle by Carvajal and a booking too. He arrives late on Rose. 82' Trippier can't control Maguire's pass. Throw for Spain. Spain under increasingly pressure here. 81' Shot from Rashford. De Gea savesReally good save too but rashford didn't hit it cleanly. 80' Sergi Roberto on now for Thiago. Impressive display from Thiago. 79' England counter. Trippier crosses and it hits Ramos' back. 78' Ball in behind for Asensio but Gomez blocks it out. 77' Rashford shot. Half-blocked and De Gea picks it up as it rolls to him. 75' Ball across to Alonso as Spain start another attack, or at least try to, as they're pinned back by England. 74' Ramos slides in and puts the ball out for a throw. Rashford and him shoulder to shoulder as they raced for a through ball by Trippier. England stepping it up now. 72' Eric Dier replaces Henderson too. 72' 81,392 in attendance in Wembley tonight. 69' Free sent in and that's cleared by England. 68' Asensio coming on for Iago Aspas. 68' Saul fouled by Trippier. 67' Isco and Alonso stand over it but Isco the one looking more likely. He does take it and it's headed up into the air by the wall. 65' Stones slides on Rodrigo and gets booked. Saul sent the Valencia striker through. Looked strange but maybe Stones came in from behind. Chance now for Spain from a favourable position. 63' Ball chipped over the top by Trippier and Kane strikes but he was offside. 61' Pass into the box. Lovely ball that Aspas lines up and is ready to nod home but Rodrigo steals it off the top of his head. What a chance. Shot comes in from Thiago and it's saved by Pickford. 59' Ramos with a ball into Saul not but way too much pace on that. 58' Thiago runs into the middle and strikes. Shot is blocked. Out to Carvajal now and Spain back on the ball. Spain just a level above England at the moment. 57' Aspas bundles Rose on as they chase for the ball. High pressure now on England and Spain win it back. Aspas to Rodrigo but he's offside. 55' Ball into behind the defence by Henderson but Kane was offside and he didn't even run for it. 55' Ball into the box and Thiago drills one with the side of his foot. Alonso with the pass. That was lovely. 53' We are back underway as Shaw is brought off on a stretcher. 50' A real delay now. Shaw doesn't look to be in great condition. With all of his injury problems, he deserves a bit of luck. Unfortunate to see. 48' Luke Shaw being helped off the field now on a stretcher. A look at Mourinho and Aitor Karanka in the stands. Mourinho is sending someone a text, it looks like. 47' Danny Rose is preparing here as Luke Shaw is down injured. 46' Vamos! We are underway for the second half. Ball into Rodrigo as he heads it under his control. He's offside though. He has been very impressive today. His movement into that halfspace in front of the penalty area has caused problems. It was in around that area that the first goal came from. He has been very impressive today. His movement into that halfspace in front of the penalty area has caused problems. It was in around that area that the first goal came from. Isco hasn't missed yet with a pass. Isco hasn't missed yet with a pass. 45' Not as much as a red cent of added time. Half-time! 45' Into the last minute of normal time. 44' Maguire pushed Isco and there's no free. Throw for England though. 44' England soaking up an awful lot of pressure here. 43' Brilliant from Carvajal as he leaves Rashford for dead. 42' Luke Shaw booked for a late tackle on Carvajal. 40' England on the ball now. Both sides have looked dangerous but Spain more clinical and have had way more chances. 37' Really nice from Spain. They switch it a couple of times and eventually shots comes in and it's saved by Pickford. Saul with the shot. 35' What a save that was from De Gea. Rashford heads it towards goal and De Gea with a strong hand to beat it away. Impressive. 34' Corner for England. Cross in from Henderson and Carvajal puts it out. Kane and Alli either side of him. 31' GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! Ball in from the free. Thiago delivers. Lovely touch at the front post by Rodrigo. 2-1 as Spain turn the tie around and take the lead. 31' Alonso hauled down by Trippier out on the left.<doc-sep>The World Cup is long over - but international football is about to return. The newly-founded UEFA Nations League starts on Thursday, with 55 European nations competing in four leagues and all Home Nations games shown live on Sky Sports. There will be a few blockbuster games to start the tournament, as England take on Spain and World Cup winners France face previous champions Germany. Here's all you need to know about the UEFA Nations League, including the teams, groups and how to watch on Sky Sports... What is the UEFA Nations League? The UEFA Nations League is a new international tournament. England will go up against other European nations in a league format for the chance to compete in the Final Four summer showpiece in 2019, where the winner will be crowned the Nations League champion. In a bid to improve the quality of international football and reduce the number of meaningless friendlies, UEFA - which has been planning the competition since 2011 - has devised a new format to add excitement and competition to country clashes. Image: Portugal won Euro 2016 - but the qualification for Euro 2020 will be affected by the Nations League How will it work? There will be 55 teams involved, split into four leagues (A, B, C and D) based on their UEFA ranking at the end of the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. Within those four leagues, teams will be split again into groups, which will be made up of either three or four teams. Within each league, four teams will be promoted at the end of the cycle, while four teams will be relegated. They will then play at their new level in the next competition, which starts in 2020. The winners of the four groups in League A will qualify for the Final Four competition. How have the groups been divided? Full League A draw Group 1: Germany, France, Netherlands Group 2: Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland Group 3: Portugal, Italy, Poland Group 4: Spain, England, Croatia Full League B draw Group 1: Slovakia, Ukraine, Czech Republic Group 2: Russia, Sweden, Turkey Group 3: Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Northern Ireland Group 4: Wales, Republic of Ireland, Denmark Image: Gareth Bale's Wales are in League B Full League C draw Group 1: Scotland, Albania, Israel Group 2: Hungary, Greece, Finland, Estonia Group 3: Slovenia, Norway, Bulgaria, Cyprus Group 4: Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Lithuania Full League D draw Group 1: Georgia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Andorra Group 2: Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova, San Marino Group 3: Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands, Malta, Kosovo Group 4: FYR Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar When will the Nations League take place? Matchday 1: September 6-9, 2018 Matchday 2: September 9-11, 2018 Matchday 3: October 11-13, 2018 Matchday 4: October 14-16, 2018 Matchday 5: November 15-17, 2018 Matchday 6: November 18-20, 2018 Finals: June 5-9, 2019 What games should we look forward to? The tournament kicks off in style as the winners of the last two World Cups meet on Thursday, September 6. Germany host France in Munich, while Wales also face Republic of Ireland on the opening day. Italy are in action against Poland on Friday, before England play Spain on Saturday when Northern Ireland take on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Image: How will Spain recover from their shock World Cup exit against Russia? The heavyweight clashes continue on Sunday, as France face the Netherlands and Wales take on Denmark, who reached the last 16 of the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal face Italy on Monday, as Scotland start their campaign against Albania. The opening round of fixtures then finishes on September 11, with Iceland against Belgium and Spain against World Cup finalists Croatia. You will be able to follow all the matches with Sky Sports. What is the Final Four? The Final Four is the climax to the Nations League. It will take place in June 2019 and pits the group winners from League A against each other. There will be a one-game semi-final stage, followed by the final. The winner will be named as Nations League champion. The Final Four tournament will occur in odd years, meaning that in years when there isn't a World Cup or European Championships, there will be a Nations League winner. Image: There will still be openings in the international calendar for friendlies How will the Nations League affect European Qualifiers? Euro qualifiers for 2020 will commence in March 2019, with double headers in the March, June, September, October and November international breaks. Teams will be split into five groups of five teams and five groups of six teams. In total, there will be 10 matchdays - the same number as now. The top two teams from the 10 groups qualify automatically for the Euros, while four more places at the finals will be awarded to play-off winners. Sixteen teams will compete in the play-offs. Image: World Cup winners France face Germany on September 6 Now, here's the interesting bit... Each Nations League league gets four play-off spots. If the winner of a group has already qualified for the Euros, the next best team which has not qualified goes into the play-offs. Those 16 teams will go into four groups, with the top team going to the Euros. The four teams play two one-off semi-finals and one one-off final to determine play-off winners. So, if one of the Home Nations fails to qualify the traditional way, each league has a path of its own to the finals. The UEFA Nations League rankings will also determine the composition of draw pots for subsequent European Qualifiers. UEFA EURO 2020 play-off draw : November 22, 2019 : November 22, 2019 UEFA EURO 2020 play-offs: March 26-31, 2020 What are the benefits? "The UEFA Nations League creates more meaningful and competitive matches for teams and a dedicated calendar and structure for national team football," say UEFA, who believe the new format addresses concerns national associations raised about friendlies no longer providing adequate competition. Image: The format gives Home Nations sides an alternative route to major tournaments<doc-sep>
Europe’s new international football contest has kicked off ... and it’s complicated. Here we explain why the Nations League was introduced, how it will work and its link to qualification for the continent’s next soccer showpiece: Euro 2020. How does it work? Europe’s football governing body, UEFA, has divided its 55 teams into four leagues, based on their records. The top-ranked teams are in League A and the lowest in League D. Each league has then been subdivided into groups of three of four teams. For example, France, Germany and the Netherlands will play each other in Group A1, while Belgium, Iceland and Switzerland will contest Group A2. Group fixtures will take place September to November this year, with teams playing each other home and away. France star and World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe trains ahead of a Nations League game with Germany. Reuters How is each league and sub-group divided? League A Group A1: Germany, France and Netherlands. Group A2: Belgium, Switzerland and Iceland. Group A3: Portugal, Italy and Poland. Group A4: Spain, England and Croatia. League B Group B1: Slovakia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic. Group B2: Russia, Sweden and Turkey. Group B3: Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Northern Ireland. Group B4: Wales, Republic of Ireland and Denmark. League C Group C1: Scotland, Albania and Israel. Group C2: Hungary, Greece, Finland and Estonia. Group C3: Slovenia, Norway, Bulgaria and Cyprus. Group C4: Romania, Serbia, Montenegro and Lithuania. League D Group D1: Georgia, Latvia, Kazakhstan and Andorra. Group D2: Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova and San Marino. Group D3: Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands, Malta and Kosovo. Group D4: FYR Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein and Gibraltar. What are teams competing for? The winners of the four groups in League A will qualify for Nations League Finals that will be played between June 5-9, 2019. They will compete in semi-finals with the winners going head-to-head to be crowned the inaugural champions. What do teams in the other leagues have to play for? The winners of each group gain promotion up a level for the next edition of the Nations League, which begins in 2020 and has its final the following summer. The tournament’s climax is timed to coincide with the summers when there is neither a football world cup or a European championship. Basically, odd years. Does the Nations League replace qualifying for Euro 2020? No, but they are linked. Qualifying for Euro 2020 — the championship played every four years — begins in March 2019 and is separate from the Nations League. Teams play in groups entirely disconnected to the Nations League, with the winners and runners-up qualifying for the tournament. But if a country doesn’t qualify in this traditional way, the Nations League will provide a second chance. All of the 16 group winners from the Nations League will go forward to play-off for the remaining four spots at Euro 2020. But if — and this is where it gets even more complicated — a group winner has already qualified for Euro 2020 via the traditional route, its play-off place goes to the next best-placed team below them in the Nations League. For example, Sweden fails to qualify for Euro 2020 via the traditional qualification route. It also finishes second in its Nations League group, meaning it does not qualify for a Euro 2020 play-off place. But it is handed a lifeline when Turkey, the winner of its Nations League group, qualifies for the finals via the traditional route. Its play-off place for coming top of the group B2 passes to Sweden, handing it a lifeline. It essentially means you could lose all your Euro 2020 qualification games and still qualify for the tournament via the Nations League. Why has this been done? UEFA says it has introduced the Nations League to improve the standing of national team football, in the face of intense competition from money-spinning domestic leagues, like the Premiership, and the Champions League, Europe’s club tournament for the creme de la creme of the continent’s teams. There is also a belief that friendly matches between countries do not provide adequate competition and can be a distraction for the under-pressure star players.