The 2026-27 UEFA Nations League begins on Thursday, continuing a competition that first started in 2018. It is split across four divisions, with every nation competing for promotion or trying to avoid relegation in each campaign. The strongest teams in the top league compete for the overall title, while performances across the Nations League can also improve a country’s chances of reaching World Cups and European Championships. The Nations League cannot, however, qualify a team directly for a major tournament on its own.
Leagues A, B and C each contain four groups of four. League D is smaller, with six teams split into two groups of three. In League A, the top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals later in the campaign. Those eight sides then compete in a knockout tournament to decide the overall Nations League winner. In Leagues B, C and D, each group winner is promoted one league. The teams that finish bottom of their groups in Leagues A, B and C are relegated one league. Teams finishing second in groups in Leagues B, C and D go into play-offs against the teams that finish third in Leagues A, B and C in relegation play-offs.
Group-stage fixtures take place between September and November. Every team faces every other team in its group twice, once at home and once away. The March 2027 international break is set to stage the League A quarter-finals and the relegation play-offs between Leagues A and B and Leagues B and C. The semi-finals and final are scheduled for the June 2027 international break, along with the League C/D play-off.
The Nations League also feeds into qualifying for the 2028 European Championships. The best-performing teams in the competition that do not qualify for the tournament through the normal qualification campaign will enter play-offs to earn the final qualifying spots.
The group line-up for 2026-27 is:
League A
Group A1: France, Italy, Belgium, Turkey
Group A2: Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Greece
Group A3: Spain, Croatia, England, Czech Republic
Group A4: Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Wales
League B
Group B1: Scotland, Switzerland, Slovenia, North Macedonia
Group B2: Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia, Northern Ireland
Group B3: Israel, Austria, Republic of Ireland, Kosovo
Group B4: Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Sweden
League C
Group C1: Albania, Finland, Belarus, San Marino
Group C2: Montenegro, Armenia, Cyprus, Latvia
Group C3: Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Faroe Islands, Moldova
Group C4: Iceland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Luxembourg
League D
Group D1: Gibraltar, Malta, Andorra
Group D2: Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein
UEFA also runs a Women’s Nations League using a similar format. Elsewhere, Nations League competitions are played in Asia and in North and Central America. South America does not currently have its own men’s Nations League, though reports in late 2025 suggested CONMEBOL may consider launching an equivalent. There is a South American Nations League in women’s football. Africa and Oceania do not have a Nations League competition.
Portugal have won the men’s Nations League twice, while Spain and France have also lifted the trophy.