Everything you need to know about UEFA's Nations League UEFA Nations League Kicks off this week, final in June UEFA's Nations League kicks off with European football's best international sides going head-to-head. Here are the schedules for the first two matchdays. Complete calendar for first day of matches League A, Group 1: Germany-France (Thursday, September 6, 8:45 PM.) League B, Group 1: Czech Republic-Ukraine (Thursday, September 6, 8:45 PM.) League B, Group 4: Wales-Republic of Ireland (Thursday, September 6, 8:45 PM.) League C, Group 3: Slovenia-Bulgaria (Thursday, September 6, 8:45 PM.) League C, Group 3: Norway-Cyprus (Thursday, September 6, 8:45 PM.) League D, Group 1: Kazakhstan-Georgia (Thursday, September 6, 4:00 PM.) League D, Group 4: Armenia-Liechtenstein (Thursday, September 6, 6:00 PM) League D, Group 1: Latvia-Andorra (Thursday, September 6, 8:45 PM.) League D, Group 4: Gibraltar-Macedonia (Thursday, September 6, 8:45 PM.) League A, Group 3: Italy-Poland (Friday 7 September, 8:45 PM.) League B, Group 2: Turkey-Russia (Friday September 7, 8:45 PM.) League C, Group 1: Albania-Israel (Friday September 7, 8:45 PM.) League C, Group 4: Lithuania-Serbia (Friday September 7, 8:45 PM.) League C, Group 4: Romania-Montenegro (Friday September 7, 8:45 PM.) League D, Group 3: Azerbaijan-Kosovo (Friday, September 7, 6:00 PM.) League D, Group 3: Faroe Islands-Malta (Friday September 7, 8:45 PM.) League A, Group 2: Switzerland-Iceland (Saturday, September 8, 6:00 PM.) League A, Group 4: England-Spain (Saturday September 8, 8:45 PM.) League B. Group 3: Northern Ireland-Bosnia and Herzegovina (Saturday, September 8, 3:00 PM.) League C, Group 2: Finland-Hungary (Saturday, September 8, 6:00 PM.) League C, Group 2: Estonia-Greece (Saturday, September 8, 8:45 PM.) League D, Group 2: Belarus-San Marino (Saturday, September 8, 6:00 PM.) League D, Group 2: Luxembourg-Moldova (Saturday, September 8, 8:45 PM.) Complete calendar for second day of matches League A, Group 1: France-Holland (Sunday 9 September, 8:45 PM.) League B, Group 1: Ukraine-Slovakia (Sunday 9 September, 3:00 PM.) League B, Group 4: Denmark-Wales (Sunday 9 September, 6:00 PM.) League C, Group 3: Bulgaria-Norway (Sunday 9 September, 6:00 PM.) League C, Group 3: Cyprus-Slovenia (Sunday 9 September, 8:45 PM.) League D, Group 1: Georgia-Latvia (Sunday 9 September, 6:00 PM.) League D, Group 4: Macedonia-Armenia (Sunday 9 September, 6:00 PM.) League D, Group 4: Liechtenstein-Gibraltar (Sunday 9 September, 8:45 PM.) League A, Group 3: Portugal-Italy (Monday September 10, 8:45 PM.) League B, Group 2: Sweden-Turkey (Monday, September 10, 8:45 PM.) League C, Group 1: Scotland-Albania to (Monday, September 10, 8:45 PM.) League C, Group 4: Serbia-Romania (Monday, September 10, 8:45 PM.) League C, Group 4: Montenegro-Lithuania (Monday, September 10, 8:45 PM.) League D, Group 1: Andorra-Kazakhstan (Monday September 10, 8:45 PM.) League D, Group 3: Malta-Azerbaijan (Monday, September 10, 8:45 PM.) League D, Group 3: Kosovo-Faroe Islands (Monday, September 10, 8:45 PM.) League A, Group 2: Iceland-Belgium (Tuesday, September 11, 8:45 PM.) League A, Group 4: Spain-Croatia (Tuesday, September 11, 8:45 PM.) League B, Group 3: Bosnia and Herzegovina-Austria (Tuesday, September 11, 8:45 PM.) League C, Group 2: Finland-Estonia (Tuesday, September 11, 8:45 PM.) League C, Group 2: Hungary-Greece (Tuesday, September 11, 8:45 PM.) League D, Group 2: Moldova-Belarus (Tuesday, September 11, 8:45 PM.) League D, Group 2: San Marino-Luxembourg (Tuesday, September 11, 8:45 PM.) What exactly is this tournament? Who will take part? What is at stake? When will it be contested? Here are the answers to a series of questions posed by the new competition. How does it work? The Nations League will see UEFA's 55 member nations take part. The teams are divided into four leagues (A, B, C and D) depending on their coefficient. Each league, in turn, will be divided into groups. Each of the teams will play each other home and away in September, October and November and those top of groups B, C and D will gain promotion, while those bottom of A, B and C will be relegated. The next season is 2020/21. The winners of each group in League A will qualify for the UEFA Nations League finals next June, with the knockout phase to be hosted by one of its participating nations and the draw will be held in December. When are the matches played? It gets underway this week and will end in June 2019 with the final. The first two rounds will be played this month, between September 6 and 11, and then between October 11 and 16, while the last of the group games will be between November 15 and 20. The finals will be played from June 5 to 9, with the four qualifying nations. Why was the competition created? Ex-UEFA president Michel Platini came up with it and managed to get it over the line before being forced to leave after a corruption scandal. "The friendly matches no longer interest anyone, neither fans or journalists or players," he said. UEFA's goal with the Nations League is to keep public interest beyond the European Championship. How is the European Championship impacted? Qualification remains more or less the same, that is until the play-off round, where the winners of each of the 16 groups will compete for the four places at the tournament. If the winner of a given group has already qualified, their place in the play-off will go to the next best ranked team in their league. If, for example, all of the teams from League A have qualified, the place will be assigned to the best ranked remaining team from League B. Which countries are in which leagues and groups? LEAGUE A (12 teams, four groups of three) Group 1: Germany, France, Holland Group 2: Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland Group 3: Portugal, Italy, Poland Group 4: Spain, England, Croatia LEAGUE B (12 teams, four groups of three) Group 1: Slovakia, Ukraine, Czech Republic Group 2: Russia, Sweden, Turkey Group 3: Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland Group 4: Wales, Ireland, Denmark LEAGUE C (15 teams, three groups of four and one of three) Group 1: Scotland, Albania, Israel, Group 2: Hungary, Greece, Finland, Estonia Group 3: Slovenia, Norway, Bulgaria, Cyprus Group 4: Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Lithuania LEAGUE D (16 teams, four groups of four) Group 1: Georgia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Andorra Group 2: Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova, San Marino<doc-sep>UEFA Nations League: Who do England play? When are the fixtures? How does it work? When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The UEFA Nations League is a four-tiered league system introduced to add more structure to the international football calendar. UEFA, the governing body for European football, vows it will “improve the quality and standing of national team football”. The format consists of four leagues, with League A containing the best-ranked nations; League D the lowest-ranked nations. Within each league are four groups of three or four teams. Each of UEFA’s 55 member associations were drawn into their league as per their UEFA coefficient ranking on 11 October 2017.<doc-sep>The what, why, when and where In a nutshell, UEFA created the Nations League to replace international friendlies and add a competition to those horrible non-tournament years. Remember how barren last summer felt, even though European qualification for the 2018 World Cup began in September 2016? That 15-month slog and the empty summer are both gone for good. The qualifying campaign for Euro 2020 will produce 20 of its 24 offspring within nine months, from immaculate conception in March 2019 to cigars all round in November. There’ll be 10 groups of five or six teams and the top two will qualify: simplicity itself. And June of that year will no longer see fans deprived of an international tournament. Even with no World Cup or European Championship to empty our Panini sticker bank accounts, we’ll be watching the finals of the UEFA Nations League. The Nations League will take place in the autumn of 2018 (and every even-numbered year after it) and involve all 55 UEFA nations, with four triumphantly ascending to June 2019’s finals stage. Then, across five glorious summer days, one country will host a mini-tournament for those four teams: two semi-finals, a third-place play-off and a final. Promotion battles and relegation dogfights Because a 55-team league would be slightly cumbersome, the Nations League is divided into four… well, leagues. Ranked by UEFA coefficient – which is not the same as the FIFA rankings, but that’s a rabbit hole you really don’t want to go down right now – the teams are placed in Leagues A to D. Yes, that’s World Cup Serbia in Group C alongside Lithuania and Estonia. And yes, that’s the Netherlands in Group A – the same Netherlands who failed to qualify for Euro 2016, despite literally half of the professional teams in Europe managing it, and who weren't at Russia 2018 either. Reaching the World Cup semi-finals in Brazil is a) still worth 20% of their coefficient points, and b) carrying them at this point. Here they are, look: Next, the teams in each league, A to D, were drawn into four groups within each league. Sadly it’s not a complete free-for-all, so there hasn't been a Group of Death consisting of Spain, world champions France and European champions Portugal. No, as they do in the Champions League and Europa League, the spoilsports at UEFA created seeded pots within each group within each league. Groups, leagues, seeds, pots – it’s half-tournament, half-allotment. Here's how it turned out.... League A Group 1: France, Germany, Netherlands Group 2: Belgium, Iceland, Switzerland Group 3: Italy, Poland, Portugal Group 4: Croatia, England, Spain League B Group 1: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine Group 2: Russia, Sweden, Turkey Group 3: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland Group 4: Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Wales League C Group 1: Albania, Israel, Scotland Group 2: Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary Group 3: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Norway, Slovenia Group 4: Lithuania, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia League D Group 1: Andorra, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia Group 2: Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova, San Marino Group 3: Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands, Kosovo, Malta Group 4: Armenia, Macedonia, Gibraltar Liechtenstein Best of all, every match matters. Teams play each other twice and the group winners are promoted to the league above while those at the bottom of their group are jettisoned into the sun. Wait – no, they’re relegated. Sorry, our mistake. Anyway, this means that when the 2020/21 Nations League rolls around, each group will look very different. Finally (for now), the four group winners in League A will qualify for that aforementioned Nations League finals tournament taking place in June 2019. It’ll be like the European Championship of 1960 to 1976, when only four teams were invited, but this time the final won’t be contested by Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union. Probably. Behold: the Faroe Islands at Euro 2020 Then it starts to get a little more complicated and a lot more controversial. Earlier, we mentioned that the usual Euro 2020 qualifiers in 2019 will be responsible for 20 of the final 24 teams. The other four will emerge from play-offs created by results in the Nations League – one for every tier, right down to League D. Each league has four group winners, as you’ll recall, and they’ll face each other in semi-finals, then a final. With four group winners per league, that’s 16 teams in all who’ll get a shot at qualifying through the play-offs. Imagine Paul Merson’s horror when – if – he understands that one of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kosovo and the Faroe Islands will definitely be playing at Euro 2020. He may remember Georgi Kinkladze, at least. See? We told you it’s controversial. Exciting, but controversial. Frequently asked complaints This is one reason many people are sceptical, dismissive or simply pissed off. Azerbaijan will be the favourites in League D; they’re on the up, but do they deserve a place in the finals of a major tournament? There’s a place open for any country in Europe (and some that patently aren’t – UEFA member Kazakhstan share a border with China and play their home games due north of Mumbai). It’s a fair argument, but one that a critic can make only if they also drop the lazy-but-popular claim that UEFA are doing all this just for money. If Iceland (population: 335,000) are the smallest side ever to reach a World Cup; UEFA won’t get much revenue if the fast-improving Faroes (population: 50,000) qualify to represent a nation that could fit inside Ibrox. A bigger problem is in how the play-offs reward prestige rather than success. If they cock up their qualifying campaign in 2019, Europe’s giants can have a second bite of the cherry even if they’d previously cocked up their Nations League campaign as well. Because there’s an obvious flaw to the idea that each 2018/19 Nations League group winner will enter March 2020’s play-off for that year’s European Championship: the majority of them will already have qualified for it. So will most, if not all, of League A and a hefty chunk of League B. Swings and roundabouts There are problems, then.<doc-sep>UEFA Nations League: UEFA Nations League: What is it? When are the matches? How does it work? HERE for the latest MUFC breaking news and transfer updates SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign upfor the latest MUFC breaking news and transfer updates When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The UEFA Nations League has been introduced by the governing body of European football, UEFA, in a bid to improve the “quality and standing of national team football”. It will provide a seasonal structure to international football which will largely replace friendlies. In essence, the UEFA Nations League is a four-tiered league system, which consists of promotion and relegation. UEFA’s 55 member associations (e.g. The FA - England), were placed into the four tiers in accordance with their coefficient ranking, which quantifies the standard of teams. League A contains the top-ranked teams, League D the lowest-ranked teams. While Leagues B-D compete for promotion and survival, sides in League A are competing to be crowned UEFA Nations League winners. Nations were divided into their leagues as per their UEFA coefficient ranking on 11 October 2017. Within each league there are four groups. The teams in a nation’s group are who they will play UEFA Nations League fixtures against. For instance, England are in League A, and have been drawn into Group A4. Spain and Croatia are the other two teams in A4, against whom England will play home and away. UEFA Nations League: The new format is expected to add more structure to the international calendar How do you become winners of the UEFA Nations League? Only nations in League A can win the UEFA Nations League. The winners of the four League A groups will be drawn into the play-off finals. The losers of those one-leg semi-finals will play in a one-leg third-place match, while the semi-finals winners will contest the final to become UEFA Nations League champions. The host nation for the league finals will be one of the finalist teams, and announced in December 2018. The finals will take place in June 2019. For Leagues B, C and D, the four group winners will be promoted to the above league, and the four bottom-placed sides relegated to the below league (apart from Group D). UEFA Nations League: The League draw was based on UEFA coefficient rankings as of October 2017 Lower-ranking teams who have struggled against sides ranked considerably higher than them will now get the chance to take part in balanced matches. UEFA When will the games be played? All UEFA Nations League group games will be played in September, October and November 2018, across six matchdays. One group in League C and every League D group consist of four teams, meaning six recognised matchdays are needed to fulfil home and away fixtures. For teams like England, in groups of three, that means there are two matchdays in which to play friendlies, like their game against Switzerland on 11 September 2018. UEFA Nations League explained How will it affect international friendlies? On whether the new league schedule will replace international friendlies, UEFA said: “While the UEFA Nations League will replace most friendly internationals, there will still be space in the calendar for friendlies. “Especially for top teams who may want to face opposition from outside Europe as they will be in groups of three teams.” Some quarters have criticised the effect on lesser sides, as the league format doesn’t test them against higher-ranked nations. UEFA argued: “Lower-ranking teams who have struggled against sides ranked considerably higher than them will now get the chance to take part in balanced matches. “Teams do not learn and progress by repeatedly losing; now some sides will start winning.” UEFA Nations League: England last played Spain in a 2-2 draw in 2016 Can you qualify for Euro 2020 via the UEFA Nations League? In short, yes. But the UEFA Nations League doesn’t do “in short”. Qualification for Euro 2020 - the first edition to consist of 24 teams - will commence in March 2019 and it is a completely separate format to the UEFA Nations League. Effectively, the traditional European Championship qualification process hasn’t changed much. Teams will be split into 10 groups of five or six nations of which the top two sides will automatically qualify for Euro 2020. That leaves four spots. UEFA Nations League: England face Croatiain Group A4, who finished runners-up at the World Cup<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.