UEFA Nations League: Games to look out for

England will look to atone for their UEFA EURO 2020 final shoot-out loss to Italy as the third UEFA Nations League gets under way, while Wales are up against one of the sides they met in their celebrated UEFA EURO 2016 campaign.

UEFA.com picks through the fixtures to find some jewels in the schedule.

England welcome Italy in EURO final rematch

That shoot-out defeat in the final of UEFA EURO 2020 will still be fresh in the minds of England players when the Azzurri return to London on 11 June for the sides' opening League A3 meeting. Italy boss Roberto Mancini rather underplayed the speedy rematch with Gareth Southgate’s team, noting merely "those will be fun matches".

For Southgate, there is more at stake. Under his leadership, England have reached a World Cup semi-final and a EURO final, but have yet to prove they can consistently beat the very top outfits in European football. He told UEFA.com that their EURO final experience had stung his side: "We haven’t got to where we want to get yet and I think that fire is burning within our group of players."

11/06/2022: England vs Italy
23/09/2022: Italy vs England

Flick faces biggest test as new Germany boss

Joachim Löw’s long and successful spell as Germany coach concluded with a 2-0 defeat to England at Wembley during EURO 2020, with new boss Hansi Flick facing perhaps the biggest challenge since he took charge as they welcome the Three Lions. "We are delighted to be able to test ourselves against the best," said the former Bayern coach. "All the fans in Germany can be happy about this and we are too because it will be the next step along the way."

Southgate has had his eye on the new regime, observing that Die Mannschaft have "got some fabulous young players coming through". The sides reconvene in Germany on 7 June. A relatively youthful England triumphed 5-1 in their most recent qualifying game in Munich, Michael Owen scoring a hat-trick on 1 September 2001. Can Flick’s new-look Germany achieve something similar?

07/06/2022: Germany vs England
26/09/2022: England vs Germany

Wales aiming high against Belgium

"You dream about nights like this," said ex-Wales tactician Chris Coleman after his charges beat Belgium 3-1 in Lille in the UEFA EURO 2016 quarter-finals, possibly the greatest single result in the Dragons' history. It was not so dreamy when these teams met in 2022 World Cup qualifying, the Red Devils winning 3-1 in Leuven and drawing 1-1 in Cardiff.

However, having battled their way up to League A, Wales are determined to prove their worth, and what better way than to overcome a team that has spent so long at the top of the FIFA rankings in recent years. Wales boss Rob Page said: "We deserve to be in this top division, and if we want to improve and continue to develop our young players we have to play against the best teams."

11/06/2022: Wales vs Belgium
22/09/2022: Belgium vs Wales

Worth looking out for

• North Macedonia and Georgia are together again in Group C4; North Macedonia beat Georgia in the play-off final to make it to EURO 2020. The teams drew 1-1 twice in the last Nations League.

Key dates

Matchdays 1 & 2: 1–8 June 2022
Matchdays 3 & 4: 9–14 June 2022
Matchdays 5 & 6: 22–27 September 2022
Finals draw: tbc
Semi-finals: 14 & 15 June 2023
Final & third-place match: 18 June 2023
Play-outs: 21–23 & 24–26 March 2024