MX23RW : Thursday, November 7 18:42:49| >> :60:3275:3275:

All you need to know about the Nations League

All you need to know about the Nations League
© Reuters
Portugal beat Holland 1-0 in the final.

The inaugural UEFA Nations League was won by Portugal, with Holland finishing runners-up and England claiming third place with a penalty shoot-out victory over Switzerland.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at the purpose of the competition and its implications for Euro 2020 qualifying.

Portugal won the Nations League, what does that mean?

Portugal won the inaugural Nations League on home turf
Portugal won the inaugural Nations League on home turf (Tim Goode/PA)

Aside from picking up the trophy, essentially not much – yet. They still have to go through qualifying for the European Championships. They are currently third in Group B but have played one match fewer than Ukraine and Luxembourg.

So what was the point of it all?

The UEFA Nations League offers a second chance at Euro 2020 qualification
The UEFA Nations League offers a second chance at Euro 2020 qualification (UEFA handout)

The Nations League provides a second chance of Euro 2020 qualification should teams not progress as one of the top two sides in the 10 groups already under way. At the end of regular qualifying, each of the already-decided Nations League's four group winners in Leagues A, B, C and D go into their own play-off for one place at the Euros. If the winners are already qualified through the traditional method, their place goes to the next best-placed team who do not have a Euro 2020 place.

It is not all over for the Nations League then?

UEFA Nations League trophy
UEFA Nations League trophy (Niall Carson/PA)

No. In March, when Euro 2020 qualification is over, we will return to those Nations League tables and select four teams from each of the groups in League A, B, C and D, applying the previously-mentioned criteria. Four new mini-leagues will be formed from the 16 teams and each league will have its own path to Euro 2020, consisting of two single-leg semi-finals and one final. The better-ranked team will have home advantage for the semi-final. A draw to determine potential home teams for each final will be made on November 22.

When will England play in the Nations League again?

England's progress to the Nations League finals - and eventual third-place finish - will help should they not qualify for Euro 2020
England's progress to the Nations League finals – and eventual third-place finish – will help should they not qualify for Euro 2020 (Tim Goode/PA)

That remains to be seen. If they do not finish in the top two of Group A in Euro 2020 qualifying (they are currently top of their five-team table featuring Czech Republic, Kosovo, Bulgaria and Montenegro with a three-point lead after two matches) then they will be in the Nations League play-offs. Semi-finals take place between March 26 and 28, with finals being held on March 29-31.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Carl Markham, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'b4f3056b-6928-4061-8201-3a84c83171eb');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk,paservice:sport:world');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'All you need to know about the Nations League'});

ID:361628: cacheID:361628:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8098:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring against Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League on June 5, 2019.
Read Next:
Cristiano Ronaldo delighted with Portugal's Nations League success
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!