Nations League groups draw LIVE: England draw Ireland and Greece, while Scotland will take on Portugal
England were relegated last time out and so will be in League B
The 2024/25 Nations League begins in September of this year after the conclusion of the European Championship, with the final set for next summer in early June.
England were in League B after being relegated from the top-tier League A last time around and will take on the Republic of Ireland, Finland and Greece in their group.
Scotland were promoted to the top tier, so are the home nations’ highest-ranked side at the competition and will play against Croatia, Portugal and Poland.
Wales were drawn in Group B4 along with Iceland, Montenegro, Turkey while Northern Ireland in League C were put in a group along with Luxembourg, Bulgaria, and Belarus.
The tournament which has split opinion for some time: while plenty of managers and players do not appreciate extra matches thrust upon them of at least a semi-competitive nature, Uefa are adamant that the removal of most friendly fixtures is a positive.
Follow all the build-up and the main group stage draw live below:
Uefa Nations League draw
The draw starts in just over 10 minutes when we will learn who England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland will have in their groups.
2024/25 Nations League dates:
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
Knockout round play-off draw: November 2024 Knockout round play-offs: 20-25 March 2025 League A quarter-finals: 20-25 March 2025 Final tournament: 4-8 June 2025
Uefa Nations league draw
The draw is less than half an hour away, and a reminder that both England and Wales were in League A last time but dropped out after finishing bottom of their respective groups.
While Scotland won their group in League B so have been promoted.
England and Wales cannot be in the same group, but one of them could face the Republic of Ireland, while Northern Ireland are in League C.
Uefa Nations League draw
How does the tournament work?
The top two teams from each group in League A go into a two-legged quarter-final in March 2025, with the winners going into a final-four tournament in June. The winner will win the Uefa Nations League trophy.
The winners of each group in Leagues B, C and D are promoted to the higher division, and the teams who finish bottom in each group in the top two leagues are relegated.
For those finishing third in Group A, there is a play off between themselves and the League B runners up.
The third-placed teams in League B will face League C runners up in a two-legged promotion/relegation play off.
The two best fourth-placed teams in League C and the two runners up in League D also have a play off.
The four best Nations League group winners who do not qualify for the World Cup either via the play offs or the qualifying groups will also go into the play offs.
Uefa Nations League draw
How does it work?
The top three leagues, A, B and C all have four groups of four teams, with one drawn from each pot into each group and the teams will play each other home and away.
League D has two groups of three teams.
There are some restrictions on who can play who, but many prohibited fixtures are impossible because of the leagues and pots.
Kazakhstan can only be drawn in a group with a maximum of one of England, Wales, Republic of Ireland or Iceland for excessive travel reasons, while Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be drawn together in League C for political reasons.
Uefa Nations League draw
League D:
Pot 1: Lithuania/Gibraltar, Moldova
Pot 2: Malta, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein
Gibraltar and Lithuania face a play-out, effectively a relegation play-off to see who ends in Leagues C and D, in March 2024.
Uefa Nations League draw
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/Gibraltar, Estonia, Latvia
Uefa Nations League draw
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, Turkey, Kazakhstan
Uefa Nations League draw
Here is a full reminder of all the leagues and pots, starting with 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
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments