What the Heck is a UEFA Nations League?

     Yesterday the first games of the UEFA Nations league kicked off. Gareth Bale scored a stunning goal for Wales as they dominated a an Irish side that was not at their best. The UEFA Nations league is a new international soccer (football) tournament with a format that seems simple enough, but complications quickly follow when attempting to address qualifications for the Euro 2020. The 55 teams and members of the UEFA confederation are split into four leagues, A, B, C, and D. 

      

      League A and B both have 12 teams that are divided into 4 groups of 3 national teams. League C is made up of 15 teams that are broken down into 3 groups of 4 teams and 1 group of 3 teams. And League D is made up of 4 groups that consists of 4 teams in each. The teams were placed in each league based on their UEFA rankings. For example, the top 12 teams are in League A and the next 12 teams are in League B and so forth. 

     There will be teams that are promoted and other teams that will be relegated. The last teams in League A get relegated to B, the last placed teams in B get relegated to C, while the top teams in League B, C, and D will get promoted to the respective leagues above them. In League C the worst 3rd placed team will be relegated to League D. Each team will play their opponents in their group twice, home and away. 

League Finals is a 4 team knockout tournament that consists of 2 semifinal games, a 3rd place game and a Final to determine 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place. 

 

    Jonathan Wilson presents perhaps a better explanation than myself as I attempt to really communicate at a simplistic level.

Teams are in the current groups and leagues, but the positions teams are in their group is random as most teams have not played a game. Teams in promotion and relegation spots are not concrete. 

 

League A
Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
France	Belgium	Portugal	Spain	Qualify to League Finals
Germany	Switzerland	Italy	England
Netherlands	Iceland	Poland	Croatia	Relegated to B
League B
Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
Ukraine	Russia	Austria	Wales	Promoted to A
Slovakia	Sweden	Bosnia & Herzegovina	Denmark
Czech Republic	Turkey	Northern Ireland	Republic of Ireland	Relegated to C
League C
Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
Scotland	Hungary	Norway	Romania	Promoted to B
Albania	Greece	Bulgaria	Serbia
Israel	Finland	Slovenia	Montenegro	Possible Relegation to D
	Estonia	Cyprus	Lithuania	Relegated to D
League D
Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
Georgia	Belarus	Azerbaijan	Macedonia	Promoted to C
Latvia	Luxembourg	Faroe Islands	Armenia
Andorra	Moldova	Malta	Liechtenstein
Kazakhstan	San Marino	Kosovo	Gibraltar