2026–27 UEFA Nations League
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | League phase: September – November 2026 League A quarter-finals and League A/B and B/C play-offs: March 2027 Nations League Finals: June 2027 League C/D play-offs: TBC |
| Teams | Up to 55 |
← 2024–25 2028–29 → | |
The 2026–27 UEFA Nations League will be the fifth season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA.
Format
[edit]NOTE: The following information is based on the current regulations and format of the UEFA Nations League.[1] All information is subject to future confirmation by UEFA. |
The UEFA national teams will be divided into four leagues, with Leagues A, B, and C featuring 16 teams each, divided into four groups of four teams, while League D features 6 teams divided into two groups of three. The teams will be allocated to leagues based on the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League final overall ranking. Each team will play six matches within their group, except for teams in League D which will play four, using the home-and-away round-robin format on matchdays from September to November 2026.
In the top division, League A, the group winners and runners-up will advance to the quarter-finals, played home-and-away over two legs in March 2027. In each tie, group winners will face a runner-up from a different group, with the group winner hosting the second leg. The four quarter-final winners will qualify for the Nations League Finals, which is played in a knockout format, consisting of the semi-finals, third place play-off and final. The semi-final pairings, along with the administrative home teams for the third place play-off and final, are determined by means of a draw. The host country will be selected, preferably from among the four qualified teams, by the UEFA Executive Committee, with the winners of the final crowned as the Nations League champions.[2][3]
Teams also compete for promotion and relegation to a higher or lower league. The group winners in Leagues B, C and D are directly promoted, while the last-placed teams of each group in Leagues A and B are directly relegated. As League C has four groups while League D has only two, the two worst-ranked League C teams will automatically be relegated. The competition will also feature promotion/relegation play-offs following the league phase, with the third-placed teams of League A facing the runners-up of League B, the third-placed teams of League B facing the runners-up of League C, and the two best-ranked fourth-placed teams of League C facing the runners-up of League D. The matches will be played home-and-away over two legs in March 2027 (League A/B and B/C) and another window (League C/D), with the winners going to the higher league and the losers entering the lower league.[4]
In all two-legged ties, the higher-ranked teams host the second leg. The team that scores more goals on aggregate is the winner. If the aggregate score is level, extra time is played (the away goals rule is not applied). If the score remains level after extra time, a penalty shoot-out is used to decide the winner.[1]
UEFA Euro 2028 qualifying
[edit]The 2026–27 UEFA Nations League is expected to be linked with UEFA Euro 2028 qualifying, providing teams another chance to qualify for UEFA Euro 2028. However, this is pending the formal approval of the format and regulations of UEFA Euro 2028.
Schedule
[edit]Below is the schedule of the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League.[4]
| Stage | Round | FIFA window[5] |
|---|---|---|
| League phase | Matchday 1 | 21 September – 6 October 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | ||
| Matchday 3 | ||
| Matchday 4 | ||
| Matchday 5 | 9–17 November 2026 | |
| Matchday 6 | ||
| League A quarter-finals and League A/B and B/C play-offs |
First leg | 22–30 March 2027 |
| Second leg | ||
| Finals | Semi-finals | 7–15 June 2027 |
| Third place play-off | ||
| Final | ||
| League C/D play-offs | First leg | TBC |
| Second leg |
Teams
[edit]All 55 UEFA national teams are able to submit an entry into the competition. However, Russia were suspended indefinitely on 28 February 2022 from participating in UEFA and FIFA competitions due to their country's invasion of Ukraine.[6] Therefore, it is unclear whether they will compete in the Nations League.
The teams which finished bottom of their group in Leagues A and B, as well as the bottom two fourth-placed teams of League C, from the 2024–25 season will move down a league, while the group winners of Leagues B, C and D will move up. Additionally, the winners of the promotion/relegation play-off ties will enter into the higher respective league, while the losers will play in the lower league. The remaining teams will stay in their respective leagues.[4]
|
League A |
League A or B |
League A, B or C |
League B or C
|
|
League B, C or D |
League C or D |
Not a member of a league
|
|
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Regulations of the UEFA Nations League, 2024/25" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 11 December 2023. Archived from the original on 8 February 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "New formats for UEFA men's national team competitions approved". UEFA. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Nations League set to expand with new knockout round from 2024/25". UEFA. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ a b c "New formats for UEFA men's national team competitions" (PDF). UEFA. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Men's International Match Calendar 2023–2030" (PDF). FIFA. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
- ^ "FIFA/UEFA suspend Russian clubs and national teams from all competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.