What is the UEFA Nations League? Finals, fixtures, results & how it works

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Harry Kane England Croatia 181118

The inaugural UEFA Nations League was won by Portugal, who defeated the Netherlands in the finals in June. England picked up the third place trophy after beating Switzerland through penalty shootout.

A total of 55 teams participated in the brand new venture with the first edition having now ended.

There have been some interesting match-ups, but the tournament still prompts a sense of bewilderment among casual observers.

Goal takes a look the Nations League ahead of the 2020-21 edition, how it works and brings you all the fixtures and results.

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1. What is the UEFA Nations League?
2. How does the UEFA Nations League work?
3. UEFA Nations League finals
4. UEFA Nations League A
5. UEFA Nations League B
6. UEFA Nations League C
7. UEFA Nations League D
8. UEFA Nations League prize money
9. European Championship qualifying
10. UEFA Nations League ball

What is the UEFA Nations League?

The Nations League is a bold attempt by UEFA to revamp international football in Europe.

According to the official UEFA website, the establishment of the biennial competition "stems from the desire ... to improve the quality and standing of national team football" with the federation and its associations seeking a move away from meaningless friendly games.

It sees UEFA's 55 member associations split into four leagues (A-D), each consisting of four groups.

When does the UEFA Nations League take place?

The 2018-19 Nations League kicked off in September 2018 , with the first two rounds of group games taking place during that month. The remaining were played in October and November.

The finals were held in June 2019, with the next edition of the competition set to begin on September 3, 2020.

Round Date
Matchday 1 September 3-5, 2020
Matchday 2 September 6-8, 2020
Matchday 3 October 8-10, 2020
Matchday 4 October 11-13, 2020
Matchday 5 November 12-14, 2020
Matchday 6 November 15-17, 2020
Semi-finals June 2-6, 2019 (TBC)
Third-place play-off June 2-6, 2019 (TBC)
Final June 2-6, 2019 (TBC)

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How does the UEFA Nations League work?

As a new concept the Nations League has understandably left many fans, footballers and even officials themselves somewhat bewildered. But it will eventually become a natural and widely understood part of the European football calendar. We've broken it down in greater detail already here , but here are the express notes.

At the top end - in League A - the winners of each of the four groups progress to the finals, where they will fight it out to become Nations League champions.

The competition will also incorporate promotion and relegation, so teams can ascend or descend the ranks depending on their performances.

Four teams - those that finish bottom in their groups - will be relegated from Leagues A to B, B to C and C to D.

Conversely, four teams - those that finish top of their groups - will be promoted from Leagues D to C, C to B and B to A.

Helpfully, UEFA has produced a graphic, which you can see below, that illustrates exactly how promotion and relegation work in the competition.

UEFA Nations League

Straightforward enough, right?

However, there are also qualification places for the European Championship up for grabs, which is where it becomes a little more complicated, but we will deal with that later.

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UEFA Nations League finals

After the conclusion of matchday six, the Nations League moved into the finals stage, which took place in the summer of 2019.

Four teams - Switzerland, England, Portugal and the Netherlands - competed in two semi-finals (on June 5 and 6) with a third-place play-off and final following (on June 9).

The original bid proposed Porto's Estadio do Dragao and the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes as host venues.

UEFA Nations League 2018 Aleksander Ceferin

Semi-finals

Date Match Time (UK)
June 5, 2019 Portugal 3-1 Switzerland 7:45pm
June 6, 2019 Netherlands 3-1 England 7:45pm

Third-place play-off

Date Match Time (UK)
June 9, 2019 Switzerland 0-0 England (5-6 pens.) 2pm

Final

Date Match Time (UK)
June 9, 2019 Portugal 1-0 Netherlands 7:45pm

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UEFA Nations League A tables, fixtures & results

League A features the top 12 ranked teams in Europe and they are divided into four groups of three. Among them are Germany, Portugal, Spain, England and France.

You can see the full breakdown of League A, including group tables, fixtures and results, below.

Group 1

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Netherlands (Q) 4 2 1 1 +4 7
2 France 4 2 1 1 0 7
3 Germany (R) 4 0 2 2 -4 2

Group 1 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 6 Germany 0-0 France 19:45
Sep 9 France 2-1 Netherlands 19:45
Oct 13 Netherlands 3-0 Germany 19:45
Oct 16 France 2-1 Germany 19:45
Nov 16 Netherlands 2-0 France 19:45
Nov 19 Germany 2-2 Netherlands 19:45

Group 2

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Switzerland (Q) 4 3 0 1 +9 9
2 Belgium 4 3 0 1 +3 9
3 Iceland (R) 4 0 0 4 -12 0

Group 2 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 8 Switzerland 6-0 Iceland 17:00
Sep 11 Iceland 0-3 Belgium 19:45
Oct 12 Belgium 2-1 Switzerland 19:45
Oct 15 Iceland 1-2 Switzerland 19:45
Nov 15 Belgium 2-0 Iceland 19:45
Nov 18 Switzerland 5-2 Belgium 19:45

Group 3

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Portugal (Q) 4 2 2 0 +2 8
2 Italy 4 1 2 1 0 5
3 Poland (R) 4 0 2 2 -2 2

Group 3 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 7 Italy 1-1 Poland 19:45
Sep 10 Portugal 1-0 Italy 19:45
Oct 11 Poland 2-3 Portugal 19:45
Oct 14 Poland 0-1 Italy 19:45
Nov 17 Italy 0-0 Portugal 19:45
Nov 20 Portugal 1-1 Poland 19:45

Group 4

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 England (Q) 4 2 1 1 +1 7
2 Spain 4 2 0 2 +5 6
3 Croatia (R) 4 1 1 2 -6 4

Group 4 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 8 England 1-2 Spain 19:45
Sep 11 Spain 6-0 Croatia 19:45
Oct 12 Croatia 0-0 England 19:45
Oct 15 Spain 2-3 England 19:45
Nov 15 Croatia 3-2 Spain 19:45
Nov 18 England 2-1 Croatia 19:45

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UEFA Nations League B tables, fixtures & results

League B is made up by the teams ranked from 13 to 24 and, like League A, they are divided into four groups of three. Some of the teams involved at this tier include Wales, Ukraine and Russia.

You can see the full breakdown of League B, including group tables, fixtures and results, below.

Gareth Bale Wales 2018

 

Group 1

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Ukraine (Q) 4 3 0 1 0 9
2 Czech Republic 4 2 0 2 0 6
3 Slovakia (R) 4 1 0 3 0 3

Group 1 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 6 Czech Republic 1-2 Ukraine 19:45
Sep 9 Ukraine 1-0 Slovakia 14:00
Oct 13 Slovakia 1 - 2 Czech Republic 14:00
Oct 16 Ukraine 1-0 Czech Republic 19:45
Nov 16 Slovakia 4-1 Ukraine 19:45
Nov 19 Czech Republic 1-0 Slovakia 19:45

Group 2

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Sweden (Q) 4 2 1 1 +2 7
2 Russia 4 2 1 1 +1 7
3 Turkey (R) 4 1 0 3 -3 3

Group 2 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 7 Turkey 1-2 Russia 19:45
Sep 10 Sweden 2-3 Turkey 19:45
Oct 11 Russia 0-0 Sweden 19:45
Oct 14 Russia 2-0 Turkey 17:00
Nov 17 Turkey 0-1 Sweden 17:00
Nov 20 Sweden 2-0 Russia 19:45

Group 3

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Bosnia & Herzegovina (Q) 4 3 1 0 +4 10
2 Austria 4 2 1 1 +1 7
3 Northern Ireland (R) 4 0 0 4 -5 0

Group 3 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 8 Northern Ireland 1-2 Bosnia & Herzegovina 14:00
Sep 11 Bosnia & Herzegovina 1-0 Austria 19:45
Oct 12 Austria 1-0 Northern Ireland 19:45
Oct 15 Bosnia & Herzegovina 2-0 Northern Ireland 19:45
Nov 15 Austria 0-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina 19:45
Nov 18 Northern Ireland 1-2 Austria 17:00

Group 4

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Denmark (Q) 4 2 2 0 +3 8
2 Wales 4 2 0 2 +1 6
3 Republic of Ireland (R) 4 0 2 2 -4 1

Group 4 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 6 Wales 4-1 Republic of Ireland 19:45
Sep 9 Denmark 2-0 Wales 17:00
Oct 13 Republic of Ireland 0-0 Denmark 19:45
Oct 16 Republic of Ireland 0-1 Wales 19:45
Nov 16 Wales 1-2 Denmark 19:45
Nov 19 Denmark 0-0 Republic of Ireland 19:45

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UEFA Nations League C tables, fixtures & results

Unlike the top two tiers, League C features the next best 15 teams, with one group of three and three groups of four. Scotland, Greece and Serbia are among the teams involved.

You can see the full breakdown of League C, including group tables, fixtures and results, below.

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Group 1

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Scotland (Q) 4 3 0 1 +6 9
2 Israel 4 2 0 2 +1 6
3 Albania (R) 4 1 0 3 -7 3

Group 1 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 7 Albania 1-0 Israel 19:45
Sep 10 Scotland 2-0 Albania 19:45
Oct 11 Israel 2-1 Scotland 19:45
Oct 14 Israel 2-0 Albania 19:45
Nov 17 Albania 0-4 Scotland 19:45
Nov 20 Scotland vs Israel 19:45

Group 2

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Finland (Q) 6 4 0 2 +2 12
2 Hungary 6 3 1 2 3 10
3 Greece 6 3 0 3 -1 9
4 Estonia (R) 6 1 1 4 -4 4

Group 2 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 8 Finland 1-0 Hungary 17:00
Sep 8 Estonia 0-1 Greece 19:45
Sep 11 Hungary 2-1 Greece 19:45
Sep 11 Finland 1-0 Estonia 19:45
Oct 12 Greece 1-0 Hungary 19:45
Oct 12 Estonia 0-1 Finland 19:45
Oct 15 Estonia 3-3 Hungary 19:45
Oct 15 Finland 2-0 Greece 19:45
Nov 15 Hungary 2-0 Estonia 19:45
Nov 15 Greece 1-0 Finland 19:45
Nov 18 Hungary 2-0 Finland 19:45
Nov 18 Greece 0-1 Estonia 19:45

Group 3

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Norway (Q) 6 4 1 1 +5 13
2 Bulgaria 6 3 2 1 +2 11
3 Cyprus 6 1 2 3 -4 5
4 Slovenia (R) 6 0 3 3 -3 3

Group 3 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 6 Slovenia 1-2 Bulgaria 19:45
Sep 6 Norway 2-0 Cyprus 19:45
Sep 9 Bulgaria 1-0 Norway 17:00
Sep 9 Cyprus 2-1 Slovenia 19:45
Oct 13 Norway 1-0 Slovenia 17:00
Oct 13 Bulgaria 2-1 Cyprus 19:45
Oct 16 Norway 1-0 Bulgaria 19:45
Oct 16 Slovenia 1-1 Cyprus 19:45
Nov 16 Cyprus 1-1 Bulgaria 19:45
Nov 16 Slovenia 1-1 Norway 19:45
Nov 19 Bulgaria 1-1 Slovenia 19:45
Nov 19 Cyprus 0-2 Norway 19:45

Group 4

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Serbia (Q) 6 4 2 0 +7 14
2 Romania 6 3 3 0 +5 12
3 Montenegro 6 2 1 3 +1 7
4 Lithuania (R) 6 0 0 6 -13 0

Group 4 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 7 Lithuania 0-1 Serbia 19:45
Sep 7 Romania 0-0 Montenegro 19:45
Sep 10 Serbia 2-2 Romania 19:45
Sep 10 Montenegro 2-0 Lithuania 19:45
Oct 11 Lithuania 1-2 Romania 19:45
Oct 11 Montenegro 0-2 Serbia 19:45
Oct 14 Romania 0-0 Serbia 14:00
Oct 14 Lithuania 1-4 Montenegro 19:45
Nov 17 Serbia 2-1 Montenegro 14:00
Nov 17 Romania 3-0 Lithuania 19:45
Nov 20 Serbia 4-1 Lithuania 19:45
Nov 20 Montenegro 0-1 Romania 19:45

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UEFA Nations League D tables, fixtures & results

League D is populated by the 16 lowest-ranked teams and they are divided into four groups of four. The likes of Armenia, San Marino and the Faroe Islands are competing at this level.

You can see the full breakdown of League D, including group tables, fixtures and results, below.

Group 1

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Georgia (Q) 6 5 1 0 +10 16
2 Kazakhstan 6 1 3 2 +1 6
3 Latvia 6 0 4 2 -4 4
4 Andorra 6 0 4 2 -7 4

Group 2 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 6 Kazakhstan 0-2 Georgia 15:00
Sep 6 Latvia 0-0 Andorra 19:45
Sep 9 Georgia 1-0 Latvia 17:00
Sep 10 Andorra 1-1 Kazakhstan 19:45
Oct 13 Georgia 3-0 Andorra 17:00
Oct 13 Latvia 1-1 Kazakhstan 17:00
Oct 16 Kazakhstan 4-0 Andorra 15:00
Oct 16 Latvia 0-3 Georgia 19:45
Nov 15 Kazakhstan 1-1 Latvia 15:00
Nov 15 Andorra 1-1 Georgia 19:45
Nov 19 Andorra 0-0 Latvia 17:00
Nov 19 Georgia 2-1 Kazakhstan 17:00

Group 2

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Belarus (Q) 6 4 2 0 +10 14
2 Luxembourg 6 3 1 2 +7 10
3 Moldova 6 2 3 1 -1 9
4 San Marino 6 0 0 6 -16 0

Group 2 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 8 Belarus 5-0 San Marino 17:00
Sep 8 Luxembourg 4-0 Moldova 19:45
Sep 11 San Marino 0-3 Luxembourg 19:45
Sep 11 Moldova 0-0 Belarus 19:45
Oct 12 Belarus 1-0 Luxembourg 19:45
Oct 12 Moldova 2-0 San Marino 19:45
Oct 15 Belarus 0-0 Moldova 19:45
Oct 15 Luxembourg 3-0 San Marino 19:45
Nov 15 San Marino 0-1 Moldova 19:45
Nov 15 Luxembourg 0-2 Belarus 19:45
Nov 18 Moldova 1-1 Luxembourg 17:00
Nov 18 San Marino 0-2 Belarus 17:00

Group 3

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Kosovo (Q) 6 4 2 0 +9 14
2 Azerbaijan 6 2 3 0 +5 9
3 Faroe Islands 6 1 2 3 -5 5
4 Malta 6 0 3 3 -9 3

Group 3 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 7 Azerbaijan 0-0 Kosovo 17:00
Sep 7 Faroe Islands 3-1 Malta 19:45
Sep 10 Kosovo 2-0 Faroe Islands 19:45
Sep 10 Malta 1-1 Azerbaijan 19:45
Oct 11 Faroe Islands 0-3 Azerbaijan 19:45
Oct 11 Kosovo 3-1 Malta 19:45
Oct 14 Azerbaijan 1-1 Malta 17:00
Oct 14 Faroe Islands 1-1 Kosovo 17:00
Nov 17 Azerbaijan 2-0 Faroe Islands 17:00
Nov 17 Malta 0-5 Kosovo 17:00
Nov 20 Kosovo 4-0 Azerbaijan 19:45
Nov 20 Malta 1-1 Faroe Islands 19:45

Group 4

Pos Team GP W D L GD Pts
1 Macedonia (Q) 6 5 0 1 +9 15
2 Armenia 6 3 1 2 +6 10
3 Gibraltar 6 2 0 4 -10 6
4 Liechtenstein 6 1 1 4 -5 4

Group 4 fixtures

Date Match Time (UK)
Sep 6 Armenia 2-1 Liechtenstein 19:45
Sep 6 Gibraltar 0-2 Macedonia 19:45
Sep 9 Macedonia 2-0 Armenia 17:00
Sep 9 Liechtenstein 2-0 Gibraltar 19:45
Oct 13 Armenia 0-1 Gibraltar 17:00
Oct 13 Macedonia 4-1 Liechtenstein 19:45
Oct 16 Armenia 4-0 Macedonia 17:00
Oct 16 Gibraltar 2-1 Liechtenstein 19:45
Nov 16 Gibraltar 2-6 Armenia 19:45
Nov 16 Liechtenstein 0-2 Macedonia 19:45
Nov 19 Macedonia 4-0 Gibraltar 19:45
Nov 19 Liechtenstein 2-2 Armenia 19:45

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UEFA Nations League prize money

Every team that competes in the Nations League will receive solidarity payments from UEFA and bonus payments will be made to teams based on their performances.

UEFA announced in October that it would increase solidarity payments by 50 per cent and the higher the league, the better the payment, which you can see in the table below.

League Solidarity payment Winner's bonus
A €2.25m €2.25m
B €1.5m €1.5m
C €1.125m €1.125m
D €750,000 €750,000

The teams that qualify for the Nations League final will also be rewarded for their performance at that stage.

The winner will receive a bonus of €6m, with the runner-up getting €4.5m. Third place will be paid €3.5m and the fourth-placed team will get €2.5m

As such, the maximum overall a team from League A can get is €10.5m; €3m for a team from League B; €2.25m for a team from League C; and €1.5m for a team from League D.

Final position Bonus
Winner €6m
Runner-up €4.5m
Third €3.5m
Fourth €2.5m

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European Championship qualifying

As referred to above, the Nations League will also be linked with the European Championship, beginning with Euro 2020.

First of all, the overall ranking of the teams in the Nations League was used to determined the seeding for the Euro 2020 qualification groups, the draw for which was held in Dublin in December 2018 following the conclusion of the group games.

UEFA Nations League Euro 2020 qualifying

Secondly, the Nations League will also potentially offer a route into the European Championship for teams that fail to reach the tournament through the qualification process.

Each League from A to D has four play-off positions which will be given to the group winners as first priority. However if a group winner has already qualified its place in the play-off will go to the next best ranked team of the league and so on.

There will be four different play-off paths, meaning a total of 16 teams, and these will generally mirror the initial four leagues in terms of make-up. That means there will be opportunities for lower ranked teams to reach the European Championship finals.

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UEFA Nations League ball

A new ball has been produced specifically for the competition by Adidas and it will be used across the games in all leagues.

The design is similar in terms of panelling to the Adidas Telstar 18, which was used during the 2018 World Cup, but the colourway is totally different, as you'd expect.

UEFA Nations League ball Adidas

The ball replicates the branding used by UEFA for their new competition, with various colours appearing in between white and silver panels.

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