By Andrew Warshaw
January 24 – It may look fiendishly unwieldly and complicated on paper but UEFA are convinced that their much-trumpeted Nations League competition, the draw for which was made today, will very quickly catch on and become an integral part of the European football landscape.
Such was the interest in the inaugural draw that took place in Lausanne a few kilometres from UEFA’s headquarters that representatives of the 55 competing countries packed into the auditorium to learn their fate in a tournament that features promotion and relegation and is designed to provide proper competition and do away with meaningless friendlies.
To be played between September and November this year, the initial phase – comprising four leagues split into separate groups and based on UEFA rankings – inevitably threw up the proverbial Group of Death with France, the Netherlands and Germany competing in group one of League A.
The winners of the top tier will advance to a knockout finals next June to decide the first Nations League winner while four teams will be relegated from Leagues A to B, B to C and C to D and four will be promoted from Leagues D to C, C to B and B to A.
While Russia and Ukraine were kept apart for political reasons, Norway and Finland had to be put in different groups in League C having originally been paired together – due to a little-known Nations League rule on winter countries being banded together. Finland were instead placed in Group 2 alongside Estonia, Greece and Hungary while Norway got Cyprus, Bulgaria and Slovenia.
The basic point of the competition is that it will be played in so-called “empty” seasons when there is no European Championship or World Cup. Perhaps the most mouth-watering aspect is that it will offer some countries who do not qualify for Euro 2020 via the normal route a second bite at the cherry.
“If you look at it you will realise that is the system of the domestic club leagues,” Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA’s head of competitions, told the BBC. “It requires explanation and everyone to focus on it, but it is not particularly complicated I would say.”
The full league phase draw, to be played on a home and away basis, is as follows:
League A:
Group 1: Germany, France, Netherlands
Group 2: Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland
Group 3: Portugal, Italy, Poland
Group 4: Spain, England, Croatia
League B:
Group 1: Slovakia, Ukraine, Czech Republic
Group 2: Russia, Sweden, Turkey
Group 3: Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Northern Ireland
Group 4: Wales, Republic of Ireland, Denmark
League C:
Group 1: Scotland, Albania, Israel
Group 2: Hungary, Greece, Finland, Estonia
Group 3: Slovenia, Norway, Bulgaria, Cyprus
Group 4: Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Lithuania
League D:
Group 1: Georgia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Andorra
Group 2: Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova, San Marino
Group 3: Azerbaijan, Faro Islands, Malta, Kosovo
Group 4: FYR Macedonia, Armenia, Lichtenstein, Gibraltar
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1714070289labto1714070289ofdlr1714070289owedi1714070289sni@w1714070289ahsra1714070289w.wer1714070289dna1714070289