UEFA Nations League

       The UEFA Nations League is a brand new biennial competition for the European nations to play in and show their abilities, other than the Euro and World Cup. This competition will mostly replace the international friendly matches organised by FIFA. 

This is how it works:

       All 55 teams from Europe are divided into 4 Divisions, namely League A, B, C and D, that are tiers of the Nations League. The top tier, League A, has 12 teams; League B 12 teams; League C 15 teams; and League D 16 teams. In each League, four groups are formed, with three or four teams in each group playing one another at home and away.

       In League A, the winners of the four groups will advance to the Nations League Finals, with two semi-finals and one final to decide the Nations League Champion. 

       Teams can also be promoted or relegated to a higher or lower League. Each group winner is promoted to the next League while each team finishing bottom of its group is relegated to the lower League.

       The teams in the League are as follows:

• League A:     Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland.
• League B:     Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales.
• League C:     Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Montenegro, Norway, Romania, Scotland, Serbia and Slovenia.
• League D:     Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Gibraltar, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova and San Marino. 

       The UEFA Nations League will also be a qualification for the Euros and the World Cup, but here it has seen criticism for allowing weaker teams to compete in tournaments freely, such as from League D, instead of the regular qualification process. But the Nations League is a big breakthrough in European national football. Previously, friendly matches were hardly attended and this League may bring more spectators and, of course, financial profits.