Nations League leading the evolution of the men's national team game
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
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A new quarter-final round for the UEFA Nations League should serve to enrich the standing of international football still further.
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The introduction of a new knockout round of UEFA Nations League action was one of the headline decisions taken by the UEFA Executive Committee in January after it met to approve the new formats to the men's national team competitions.
The amendment to the competition comes in for its next edition starting in September 2024. It comprises a knockout round to be played in March which will act as a bridge between the group phase ending in November and the finals which are played in June.
These modifications followed an extensive consultation process with UEFA's national associations. The aim is that it will lead to more compelling and exciting competitions without – crucially – adding any fresh dates to the international calendar.
UEFA President's enthusiasm
Commenting on the revamped competition, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: "The introduction of the UEFA Nations League was a success story, replacing friendly games with more competitive matches. And now, by introducing the new knockout phase, teams will be given even more opportunities to progress while keeping the same number of games within the international match calendar."
Behind all this is an acute awareness of the importance of national team competitions in boosting the resources of national associations – a significant matter when these associations are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic.
These adjustments should bring more meaningful matches which are not only to the benefit of players, but will also generate more interest among supporters, media and commercial partners.
Nations League addition
The UEFA Nations League quarter-final round in March will involve the League A group winners and runners-up. These teams will face each other in home-and-away ties, with the winners advancing to the final four.
Additionally, there will be promotion/relegation play-offs between the third-ranked teams in League A and the runners-up in League B, as well as between the third-ranked in League B and the League C runners-up. As with the quarter-finals, these ties will take the form of home-and-away fixtures.
Nations League success stories
The expansion of the UEFA Nations League is another evolution in the brief history of this competition which was established in 2018 – a decision which has paid dividends.
It was set up with the purpose of replacing friendly dates with matches which have real meaning – and quite often a sizeable slice of jeopardy too – and this aim has certainly been fulfilled.
Thirty-three different nations have earned at least one promotion since the competition's inception, which highlights the argument that teams are able to generate momentum, and a sense of progression, via the Nations League. As well as climbing the Nations League ladder, they also improve their prospects of a more favourable draw when it comes to the European Qualifiers, thus creating a virtuous circle.
On the climb...
Since its inception in 2018, Portugal and France have both lifted the UEFA Nations League trophy ... but the success stories do not end there …
- Georgia started in League D in 2018/19 and have earned two promotions in three seasons. They will start the 2024/25 competition in League B.
- Hungary started in League C in 2018/19 and earned two successive promotions to League A, they maintained their position in League A in 2022/23.
- Israel started in League C in 2018/19 and have earned two promotions in three seasons. They will start the 2024/25 competition in League A.
- Kazakhstan started in League D in 2018/19 and have earned two promotions in three seasons. They will start the 2024/25 competition in League B.
- Scotland started in League C in 2018/19 and have earned two promotions in three seasons. They will start the 2024/25 competition in League A.
- Serbia started in League C in 2018/19 and have earned two promotions in three seasons. They will start the 2024/25 competition in League A.
Hungary – a fine example
There is no greater example of Nations League success than Hungary, who started out in League C in 2018/19 and earned two successive promotions to League A, before then maintaining their position in League A in 2022/23. In that most recent campaign they finished second in their group, having beaten England home and away and also won in Germany.
The Hungary national team coach, Marco Rossi, said: "The creation of the Nations League was a very smart idea by UEFA. Nations League matches have much more importance than friendly games, and they also influence the ranking position which also indicates the pot at the draw. We managed to be drawn for the next European Qualifiers from pot 1 as a result of our Nations League performance."
Over the period in question, Hungary's UEFA national team ranking has risen from 31st at the end of the 2018/19 league phase to 20th after 2020/21, and up to eighth after this most recent league phase – a climb of 23 places.
Hungary have not been the only beneficiaries. Indeed, seven other sides have managed two promotions since 2018/19. These are Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Scotland and Serbia.
Rossi added: "The system of four leagues with a chance to be promoted and relegated was also a great idea, not just for the teams since they have something to win or lose in each game, but also for the fans it gives more excitement."
To underscore the point, when the 2024/25 campaign gets under way, Rossi's Hungary will be one of four teams playing League A football who were in League C for the inaugural campaign in 2018/19, yet have worked their way up two divisions, the others being Israel, Scotland and Serbia.
Evenly matched teams
Another positive of the UEFA Nations League format is the guarantee it brings of competitive fixtures between teams who are more evenly matched.
To offer an illustration of this competitive balance, consider the fact that two-thirds of all League A matches have either been draws (22.69%) or single-goal victories (43.70%). In League B, that figure is even higher with 25.66% of matches ending in draws, and 44.79% in one-goal victories – almost three-quarters of the 113 fixtures played. The corresponding figures for League C, meanwhile, are 25.36% and 41.30% which, as with League A, come to two-thirds. In addition, 37 different countries have won a UEFA Nations League group over the three group stages held since its inception.
The evidence is encouraging and, with the modifications approved by the UEFA Executive Committee, the UEFA Nations League should see even more intriguing contests in the years ahead.
UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE: FACTS AND FIGURES
Most UEFA Nations League matches won (including final tournaments and play-outs)
Georgia: played 18, won 11
Portugal: played 18, won 11
Netherlands: played 18, won 11
Greece: played 18, won 11
Belgium: played 18, won 11
Scotland: played 16, won 10
Norway: played 17, won 10
France: played 18, won 10
Finland: played 18, won 10
Highest UEFA Nations League win percentage (including final tournaments and play-outs)
Scotland: 62.5%
Georgia: 61.1%
Portugal: 61.1%
Netherlands: 61.1%
Greece: 61.1%
Belgium: 61.1%
Norway: 58.8%
This is an abridged and edited version of an article which appears in the 2023 UEFA Nations League finals programme