New Delhi: The fourth edition of the UEFA Nations League will kick off this month as teams from all the countries in the UEFA Confederation will compete for promotion, avoiding relegation and, of course, the coveted Nations League trophy. The competition though remains divided into four league that are then split into groups, there are a few changes in the rules.
The new length of the league falling in the International Match Calendar window in March has been concerning for a few nations. Still, most teams are available to appear in the European Qualifiers. The Nations League was originally developed to lessen pointless friendlies and for nations to compete with equally ranked teams.
The competition has allowed all the European associations to play in a league structure with a system of promotion and relegation. This edition features 16 teams in Leagues A, B and C, with six teams playing in League D.
Which teams are playing in the 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: Czechia, 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
The format of the Nations League
#NationsLeague is back this week 🙌 pic.twitter.com/v7OIAbeESR
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) September 2, 2024
The new format features a more elaborate league with a new knockout round that will be played in March 2025, with the finals in June 2025. The League A group winners and runners-up will play a home-and-away quarter-finals. The winners of these games will qualify for the final four. The teams fourth placed in Groups A and Group B will be relegated to League B and C, respectively. The two teams that are lowest-ranked fourth-placed teams in League C will be relegated to League D.
The four group winners in League B and C along with the two group winners in League D will be promoted to Leagues A, B and C respectively. The third-ranked teams of the League A and the runners-up of League B along with third-ranked teams of League B and runners-up of League C will feature in a home-and-away promotion/relegation play-off.
Where to watch?
The UEFA Nations League 2024-25 football tournament will be live-streamed on the SonyLiv app and website in India. Every match will also be telecasted live on the Sony Sports Network TV channel.
Here’s all you need to know about the UEFA Nation’s League as 54 teams take part in the tournament. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
