The 2026-27 UEFA Nations League divides European national teams into Leagues A, B, C and D. Most groups contain four teams playing home and away, creating six league-phase matches per team.
League A groups
The top division contains four demanding groups: France, Italy, Belgium and Türkiye in A1; Germany, Netherlands, Serbia and Greece in A2; Spain, Croatia, England and Czechia in A3; and Portugal, Denmark, Norway and Wales in A4.
League A's group winners and runners-up move into home-and-away quarter-finals. The four tie winners qualify for the Final Four in June 2027.
Promotion and relegation
Group winners in lower leagues can move upward, while bottom sides in higher leagues face relegation. Additional home-and-away play-offs connect third-placed teams in a higher league with runners-up below them.
That system gives mid-table matches real value. Finishing second, third or fourth can lead to completely different routes even when a team is not competing for the Nations League trophy.
Important dates
The league phase runs from September 24 to November 17. Quarter-finals and the main promotion-relegation play-offs take place from March 25 to 30, 2027. The finals are scheduled for June 9 to 13.
UEFA says the 2026-27 results are expected to connect with Euro 2028 qualifying, potentially offering some teams a second playoff route.
See UEFA's official competition guide for confirmed groups. Our Matchday 1 schedule covers the opening fixtures; more is in football.
