2026/27 UEFA Nations League: All you need to know
Thursday, February 12, 2026
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Match dates, groups and how it works – all you need to know about the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League.
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The fifth edition of the UEFA Nations League gets under way in September 2026.
What are the groups for the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League?
The league phase draw for the 2026/27 edition took place in Brussels on Thursday 12 February.
League A
Group A1: France, Italy, Belgium, Türkiye
Group A2: Germany, Netherlands, Serbia, Greece
Group A3: Spain, Croatia, England, Czechia
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 or Gibraltar*
Group C3: Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Faroe Islands, Moldova
Group C4: Iceland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Luxembourg or Malta*
League D
Group D1: Gibraltar or Latvia*, Malta or Luxembourg*, Andorra
Group D2: Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein
* Teams will be confirmed following the 2024/25 UNL League C/D play-offs in March.
What are the dates for the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League?
The following dates are earmarked for the fifth edition of the UEFA Nations League:
League phase
Matchday 1: 24-26 September 2026
Matchday 2: 27-29 September 2026
Matchday 3: 30 September-3 October 2026*
Matchday 4: 4-6 October 2026
Matchday 5: 12-14 November 2026
Matchday 6: 15-17 November 2026
*Wednesday, 30 September 2026 is not a regular day of the Week of Football, but may exceptionally be used to schedule Matchday 3 fixtures
Quarter-finals, League A/B and League B/C promotion/relegation play-offs
25-30 March 2027
League C/D play-offs
23-28 March 2028
Final tournament
9-13 June 2027
What is the UEFA Nations League?
The UEFA Nations League was devised to minimise meaningless friendlies and give nations competitive encounters with equally ranked teams.
European associations compete in a league structure featuring promotion and relegation. The league composition of the 2026/27 edition will be confirmed following the inscriptions of the teams and is shaped by the results of the 2024/25 edition.
What is special about the fifth edition of the UEFA Nations League in 2026/27?
The league phase will start with a prolonged international window from 24 September to 6 October 2026, during which teams will generally play four UEFA Nations League matches in close succession.
The 2026/27 UEFA Nations League is expected to be linked to qualification for UEFA EURO 2028 in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Based on their UEFA Nations League results, some teams will be given a second chance to enter the play-offs for the final tournament.
How will the UEFA Nations League knockout stage work?
Following the league phase which ends in November 2026, the best sides of League A will have the opportunity to qualify for the finals as winners of the quarter-final ties, which take place in March 2027. The finals will again be contested between four teams. The host and the dates of the finals have not been confirmed yet.
On top of direct promotion and relegation between the leagues, will there be additional promotion/relegation play-offs?
Like for the 2024/25 edition, additional promotion and relegation play-offs can be expected to take place in March 2027.
