About UEFA Nations League
The UEFA Nations League is a men’s national football tournament organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), featuring 55 member associations.
Origins of the Tournament
On March 27, 2014, the UEFA Congress approved the proposal to launch the "Nations League" to replace UEFA’s international friendly matches, aiming to enhance the appeal and competitiveness of national team friendlies. On September 21, 2017, UEFA officially announced the establishment of the Nations League.
Competition Format
Team Classification: The 55 teams are divided into four divisions (A, B, C, D) based on UEFA rankings. Divisions A, B, and C each have 16 teams, while Division D has 6 teams.
Grouping: Divisions A, B, and C are each split into 4 groups of 4 teams; Division D is divided into 2 groups of 3 teams.
Match Format: Teams within each group play home-and-away double-round-robin matches.
Promotion/Relegation Rules:
The last-place team in each group of Division A is relegated to Division B; the last-place team in each group of Division B is relegated to Division C.
The two lowest-ranked 4th-place teams in Division C are relegated to Division D.
The group winners of Division D are directly promoted to Division C.
Group winners of Divisions B and C are promoted to the next higher division.
Additionally, play-offs for promotion/relegation are held between the 3rd-place teams of Division A and 2nd-place teams of Division B, as well as between the 3rd-place teams of Division B and 2nd-place teams of Division C.
Final Stage Rules: The top two teams from each of Division A’s 4 groups advance to the quarter-finals, followed by semi-finals, a third-place play-off, and a final to determine the champion.
Schedule
The tournament is held across calendar years, with one edition every two years. Group stages typically take place from September to November, knockout stages in March of the following year, and the final stage in June.
Relationship with Major Tournament Qualification
For European Championship qualifiers: Beyond group winners and runners-up qualifying directly, the top 4 highest-ranked teams from Divisions A, B, and C that failed to qualify for the European Championship via qualifiers will compete in two rounds of play-offs to earn 3 spots in the final tournament.
For 2026 FIFA World Cup UEFA qualifiers: The 55 teams are divided into 12 groups. While group winners qualify directly, the remaining 4 spots are decided via play-offs, with higher-ranked Nations League teams eligible to secure play-off berths.
Tournament Champions
As of June 2025, four Nations League champions have been crowned: Portugal (2018–19 and 2024–25 seasons), France (2020–21 season), and Spain (2022–23 season).