UEFA Nations League 2024/25: Everything you need to know | UEFA Nations League
The fourth edition of the UEFA Nations League began on Thursday, 8 February 2024, with the draw for the league phase in Paris.
The league phase matches will be played in autumn 2024, with the final round (hosted by one of the four qualified nations) scheduled for June 2025.
Which teams will face each other in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League?
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, Türkiye
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
*Determined after the 2022/23 play-outs in March 2024
How did the draw for the league phase of the 2024/25 Nations League work?
The 54 UEFA member associations participating in the league stage were divided into four leagues based on their results in the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League. The teams were then divided into pots, again based on their rankings in the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League:
League A
Pot 1: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Netherlands
Pot 2: Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, Hungary
Pot 3: Switzerland, Germany, Poland, France
Pot 4: Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Scotland
• The draw for League A resulted in four groups of four teams each. The full draw procedure can be found here.
• Each team will play six matches in its group, one at home and one away against the other three nations in the group.
League B
Pot 1: Austria, Czech Republic, England, Wales
Pot 2: Finland, Ukraine, Iceland, Norway
Pot 3: Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, Montenegro
Pot 4: Georgia, Greece, Türkiye, Kazakhstan
• The draw for League B resulted in four groups of four teams each. The full draw procedure can be found here.
• Each team will play six matches in its group, one at home and one away against the other three nations in the group.
League C
Pot 1: Romania, Sweden, Armenia, Luxembourg
Pot 2: Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Faroe Islands
Pot 3: North Macedonia, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Cyprus
Pot 4: Belarus, Lithuania*, Estonia, Latvia
• The draw for League C resulted in four groups of four teams each. The full draw procedure can be found here.
• Each team will play six matches in its group, one at home and one away against the other three nations in the group.
*Will be determined after the 2022/23 play-outs in March 2024.
League D
Pot 1: Gibraltar*, Moldova
Pot 2: Malta, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein
• The draw for League D resulted in two groups of three teams each. The full draw procedure can be found here.
• Each team will play four matches in its group, one at home and one away against the other two nations in the group.
*Will be determined after the 2022/23 play-outs in March 2024.
What changes have been made for the 2024/25 Nations League?
The UEFA Nations League has been expanded to include a new knockout round, which will be played in March 2025. This will create continuity between the group stage ending in November and the final round in June.
The winners and runners-up of Group A will play in home and away quarter-finals; the winners of these matches will qualify for the Final Four.
The fourth-placed teams in Leagues A and B are automatically relegated to Leagues B and C respectively. The two worst-placed fourth-placed teams in League C are relegated to League D.
The four group winners of Leagues B and C and the two group winners of League D are automatically promoted to Leagues A, B and C respectively.
The third-placed teams in League A and the runners-up in League B as well as the third-placed teams in League B and the runners-up in League C will compete in a home and away play-off for promotion/relegation.
In addition, play-offs will take place between the two best fourth-placed teams in League C and the two runners-up in League D.
The extension of the UEFA Nations League to the international match calendar in March only affects a select number of teams. The remaining teams are already available for the start of the European Qualifiers.
How will the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League finals be played?
The semifinals will take place on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 June 2025. The winners will advance to the final on Sunday 8 June, while the two losing semifinalists will play for third place on the same day.
Previous Nations League finals
2019: Portugal – Netherlands 1:0 (Porto)
2021: France – Spain 2:1 (Milan)
2023: Croatia – Spain 0:0 (aet, Spain wins 5:4 on penalties, Rotterdam)
What are the dates for the 2024/25 Nations League?
Matchday 1: 5–7 September 2024
Matchday 2: 8-10 September 2024
Matchday 3: 10–12 October 2024
Matchday 4: 13-15 October 2024
Matchday 5: 14-16 November 2024
Matchday 6: 17-19 November 2024
Draw for the knockout round of the play-offs: November 2024
Knockout round, play-offs: 20-25 March 2025
League A quarter-finals: 20-25 March 2025
Final round: 4-8 June 2025
What is the Nations League?
The UEFA Nations League was designed to reduce meaningless friendlies to a minimum and to provide nations with exciting encounters with teams of equal standing.
Teams from all European associations compete in a league structure with promotion and relegation. In the first edition of the tournament they were divided into 12 teams in League A, 12 in League B, 14 in League C and 16 in League D.
As explained above, in the 2024/25 edition there will be 16 teams in Leagues A, B and C and six in League D.
