The season has only just started, but it’s already time for the first international break, with the Nations League and other matches kicking off in the coming days. These will be the first international matches for European teams after this summer’s tournament, as we begin the new cycle towards the World Cup in 2026.
Most teams will play two matches over the next few days and this will give managers the opportunity to assess their options with a number of new managers in place and some players having retired and needing to be replaced. The positive side of the Nations League, still a relatively new competition, is that it offers competitive matches rather than just friendly matches, which many consider a waste of time.
How does it work?
The Nations League was first introduced in 2018 and was a success. It has therefore been maintained since, with fans preferring it as an intermediary between major international tournaments. Based on their ranking, the competing European nations are divided into four leagues. These leagues are then divided into four groups (or two for Group D), each containing four teams. The nations will then compete in a round-robin format, playing each other home and away.
Teams that finish top of their group are promoted, while those that finish bottom are relegated. The winners of League A meet in a final tournament, containing semi-finals and a final, which will determine the champion of the Nations League. The groups are:
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 2024/25 edition has been expanded with a new knockout round to be played in March 2025. The winners and runners-up of the League A group will compete in the two-legged quarter-finals, with the winners of these ties qualifying for the final phase in June 2025.
Upcoming meetings
The first of the matches will take place on Thursday 5th with some intriguing matches planned. Denmark take on Switzerland and the home team is looking to make amends after a disappointing European Championship. The Swiss, meanwhile, will be looking to build on their run to the quarter-finals in June and we can expect an attacking match between these two. Portugal face Croatia in another interesting match on Thursday, two teams who will have hoped and expected more at the recent European Championships. Scotland and Poland are also in action and looking to get going again. Qualifying for any major tournament can be considered a success, but at the same time, they will look to build a better team for consistency. Serbia has the difficult task of facing Euro winners Spain in the final Group A match on Thursday. There are other League C and D matches with teams like Sweden and Bulgaria in action.
There are only two matches on Friday in League A, they are Belgium against Israel and one of the biggest clashes of the tour, France against Italy. The latter of these two matches will necessarily be interesting, despite Italy’s poor performance during the recent Euro, they will seek to regain some respect on the international scene after poorly defending the title won in 2021. Turkey will travel to the Wales in League B in what is likely to be a tough match for both teams and the likes of Austria and Romania will also be in action on Friday.
Germany hosts Hungary on Saturday, a repeat of the clash between these two teams a few months ago at the European Championships. The other League A match pits the Netherlands against Bosnia and Herzegovina with a big clash taking place in League B as England travel to Dublin to take on neighbors Ireland. England’s poor performance in the last Nations League saw them relegated to League B and they will face second-tier teams in European football, a different challenge to what they expected. The Czech Republic faces one of the surprise teams from the last championship, Georgia as well as Greece and Ukraine are also in action.
Day two begins on Sunday and Spain are in action again, this time on the road as they travel to Switzerland in what could be a tricky match. Portugal will be confident of getting the better of Scotland while Denmark will hope to do the same against Serbia and Croatia should be able to beat Poland. There are no League B fixtures on Sunday, so it’s the lower nations of Leagues C and D that make up the rest of the entertainment.
Just two League A matches on Monday as France host neighboring Belgium in what could be an interesting match between two of Europe’s best teams. The second match is Israel versus Italy, a match in which the away team is really hoping to score three points. Turkey are back in action in League B as they host Iceland and a potentially interesting match could be Norway versus Austria.
The final day of the Nations League will take place on Tuesday and the highlight will undoubtedly be the clash between the Netherlands and Germany. These two old rivals have produced many classic clashes over the years and the possibility of them facing each other again at the start of this Nations League is certainly an interesting prospect. The other League A match will pit Hungary against Bosnia-Herzegovina. England return to Wembley to face Finland while Ireland remain in Dublin to host Greece in League B and another interesting match could be Czech Republic versus Ukraine.
The players will then have a few days off and return to their clubs for a few weeks until they are recalled to represent their country again for another round of Nations League matches in mid-October.
PS: The odds may have changed since this article was written and published.
Last updated: 05.09.24
