UEFA Nations League is going to start on 6th September 2018. The 2018–19 UEFA Nations League is the inaugural season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men’s national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA.
All the 55 members are associated to improve the quality and standing of national team football. UEFA and its associations wanted more sporting meaning in national team football, with associations, coaches, players and supporters increasingly of the opinion that friendly matches are not providing adequate competition for national teams.
This league will be conducted once in two years which will also replace many men’s major leagues which were conducted under UEFA.
Know Here Everything about the UEFA Nations League
What Is UEFA Nations League?
UEFA Nations league is a new national team competition that replaces friendlies with competitive matches, allowing nations to play against equally ranked teams.
The four group winners of the top-ranked League A qualify for the UEFA Nations League finals in June 2019.
What is the basic format?
- The format of the UEFA Nations League features promotion and relegation. The 55 European national teams have been divided into four leagues in accordance with UEFA’s national association coefficient rankings on 11 October 2017.
- League A includes the top-ranked sides and League D includes the lowest.
How have the groups been divided?
Groups are divided based on the UEFA ranking. So for 2018-19 UEFA Nationals League, It was taken from the UEFA’s national association coefficient rankings on 11 October 2017. Each group has 3-4 Teams.
League A
| Group A1 | Group A2 | Group A3 | Group A4 |
| Germany | Belgium | Portugal | Spain |
| France | Switzerland | Italy | England |
| Netherlands | Iceland | Poland | Croatia |
League B
| Group B1 | Group B2 | Group B3 | Group B4 |
| Slovakia | Russia | Austria | Wales |
| Ukraine | Sweden | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Republic of Ireland |
| Czech Republic | Turkey | Northern Ireland | Denmark |
League C
| Group C1 | Group C2 | Group C3 | Group C4 |
| Scotland | Hungary | Slovenia | Romania |
| Albania | Greece | Norway | Serbia |
| Israel | Finland | Bulgaria | Montenegro |
| Estonia | Cyprus | Lithuania |
League D
| Group D1 | Group D2 | Group D3 | Group D4 |
| Georgia | Belarus | Azerbaijan | FYR Macedonia |
| Latvia | Luxembourg | Faroe Islands | Armenia |
| Kazakhstan | Moldova | Malta | Liechtenstein |
| Andorra | San Marino | Kosovo | Gibraltar |
Nation League Tentative Schedule
The UEFA matches will be played in four slots. First will be in September 2018 then October 2018 and last November 2018. Finals will be held in June 2019. Below is the Tentative Schedule for the UEFA Nationals League.
- 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 Happen Next?
So, Once the group matches have been played then from the League A, the winner of each four groups will meet in Final Four competition, which will take place in June 2019. Winner of the finals will be UEFA Nations League champion.
Rest league team don’t have to worry as for them, promotion and relegation method is used.
The teams that finish bottom of their group in Leagues A, B and C are relegated and replaced by the teams that finish top of the groups in the League below.
Here’s a handy graphic from UEFA to illustrate how all the movement will work:
Will qualifying for the UEFA EURO change?
Qualification of UEFA Euro league has changed a little bit. Well UEFA nationals league provide an extra spot for the team to play the directly EURO Playoff. Euro qualifiers for 2020 will commence in March 2019, with doubleheaders 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 playoffs.
It looks so simple, But wait here is a new twist which came after the introduction of UEFA National League.
Each Nations League league gets four playoff spots. If the winner of a group has already qualified for the Euros, the next best team which has not qualified goes into the playoffs.
This will not change any international fixture and it fit into FIFA’s existing international windows.
The Euro 2020 qualification play-offs are set for March 2020, and Euro 2020 itself – to be played across the continent – will begin three months later.
How To Watch The UEFA National League
Sky Sports grabs the broadcasting rights. If you are from India then you can watch on Sony Networks and online on Sonyliv app and website. In the US, ESPN has snapped up everything for the next cycle – Euro 2020 and its qualifiers, the Nations League and the European qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup.
In the UK, ITV will broadcast all the matches of UEFA and FIFA.
This will affect the friendly international matches. It will be reduced or no longer will be played.
Have any issue share your views in the comment section.
