The UEFA Nations League kicked off today leaving many fans with blank expressions on their faces and one question, What is the UEFA Nations League?
The short answer is simple.
The UEFA Nations League is the international competition between the national soccer teams of Europe that is held every 2 years starting in September 2018.
The league was developed to eliminate the ‘meaningless friendlies’ that frequently took place across Europe on FIFA International Matchdays. And the rewards are real for the national teams that thrive.
4 nations will earn a berth at the UEFA Euro 2020 finals. The winning team from each League earns 1 of the 4 berths.
And the 55 teams competing will each receive solidarity payments for playing and prize money (bonus) for doing well.
The inaugural winner pockets $5.23 Million (M), the runner-up $4.01M, the third place finisher $2.91M, and the 4th place finisher $1.74M. These are payments in addition to the solidarity payments.
The solidarity payments are based on which league a team competes. League A teams receive a solidarity payment of $1.74M, League B teams earn $1.16M, League C teams $871,819, and League D teams $581,210.
The winning team will also be presented the UEFA Nations League trophy. The sterling silver trophy is 2.3 feet tall and weighs in at 16.5 lbs.
OK, some may feel this is getting complicated but don’t fret it is not as complicated as it may seem.
The 55 nations are divided into divisions (the 4 Leagues) based on their overall strength (ranking based on recent results) with each League divided into Groups of either 3 or 4 teams. League A and League B have 12 teams each (with 3 groups of 4), League C has 15 teams (5 groups of 3), and League D has 16 teams (4 groups of 4).
The ultimate winner of the Nations League comes from League A teams. The top team from each group advances to the semifinals with a standard single elimination format used to determine 1st through 4th place finishers.
The Nations League finals will be played in a host city (TBD) in June 2019.
Is their promotion and relegation in the Nations League?
The UEFA Nations League uses a promotion and relegation system. Each group winner is promoted and each group loser is relegated at the next tournament.
Who makes the UEFA Nations League match ball?
adidas is the official supplier of the 2018/19 UEFA Nations League matchball. The ball is white with silver detailing and colorful images from the Nations League flag.
What teams are playing in the Nations League?
UEFA Nations League A
Belgium
Croatia
England
France
Germany
Iceland
Italy
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Spain
Switzerland
UEFA Nations League B
Austria
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Czech Republic
Denmark
Northern Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Russia
Slovakia
Sweden
Turkey
Ukraine
Wales
UEFA Nations League C
Albania
Bulgaria
Cyprus
Estonia
Finland
Greece
Hungary
Israel
Lithuania
Montenegro
Norway
Romania
Scotland
Serbia
Slovenia
UEFA Nations League D
Andorra
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Faroe Islands
Georgia
Gibralter
Kazakhstan
Kosovo
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malta
Moldova
San Marino
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