On Thursday, February 8, the draw for the 2024/2025 Nations League took place in Paris, which determined the rivals of the Ukrainian national team, UNN informs.
There will be 16 teams in Divisions A, B and C, and six teams in Division D.
Ukraine is in the second basket of League B and has one opponent from the first, third and fourth baskets. In Group B1, the blue and yellows will play the Czech Republic, Albania and Georgia.
League of Nations 2024/2025
League A
Group A1: Croatia, Portugal, Poland, Scotland.
Group A2: Italy, Belgium, France, Israel.
Group A3: Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Group A4: Spain, Denmark, Switzerland, Serbia.
League B
Group B1: Czech Republic, Ukraine, Albania, Georgia.
Group B2: England, Finland, Ireland, Greece.
Group B3: Austria, Norway, Slovenia, Kazakhstan.
Group B4: Wales, Iceland, Montenegro, Turkey.
League C
Group C1: Sweden, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Estonia.
Group C2: Romania, Kosovo, Cyprus, Lithuania/Gibraltar.
Group C3: Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Northern Ireland, Belarus.
Group C4: Armenia, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, Latvia.
League D
Group D1: Lithuania/Gibraltar, San Marino, Liechtenstein.
Group D2: Moldova, Malta, Andorra.
In divisions A, B and C , participants are divided into four groups of four teams. In Division D, there are two groups of three teams each.
The winners of the League A groups and the second-place teams will take part in the quarterfinal matches of the League A home and away, and the winners of these matches will qualify for the final four. The teams that take the last places in their quartets will be promoted to Division B.
The teams that take first place in the groups of divisions B, C and D will be promoted to divisions A, B and C respectively. The teams that take the last place in division B will be promoted to division C. The two worst teams in division C will be promoted to division D.
The third-place teams in League A and third-place teams in League B will play in the promotion/relegation playoffs at home and away against the second-place teams in League B and second-place teams in League C, respectively. The two best teams among the last in League C will meet the second teams of League D groups.
What awaits Ukraine in League B?
As you know, following the results of the 2022/2023 Nations League, the national team of Ukraine, having taken second place in its group, remained in League B.
After the format change, it will participate in the group tournament in League B, where Ukraine will play if it takes the lead:
- first place - will be promoted to League A;
- the second place team will play head-to-head matches with the team that finishes third in the League A group;
- third place - will play butt matches with the team that finishes second in the League C group;
- fourth place will be relegated to League C.
The head-to-head matches are scheduled for March 2025.
The places taken by the participants in the 2024/2025 Nations League will determine which group, with four or five teams, they will be in in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The teams divided into groups of five in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers will start the tournament in March or June 2025 if they are still participating in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals or in the promotion/relegation matches. Teams divided into groups of four will begin qualifying for the World Cup in September 2025.
Calendar of matches of the League of Nations-2024/2025
Round 1: September 5-7, 2024.
Round 2: September 8-10, 2024.
Round 3: October 10-12, 2024.
Round 4: October 13-15, 2024.
Round 5: November 14-16, 2024.
Round 6: November 17-19, 2024.
Playoffs: March 17-25, 2025.
Final Four: June 2-10, 2025.
Tickets to the 2026 World Cup - through the League of Nations
The qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the European zone, where 16 tickets will be drawn, will last from March 2025 to March 2026 and will consist of two rounds.
Round 1: 12 groups of five or four teams will play between March and November 2025 in a traditional group system. The 12 group winners will receive direct tickets to the final stage.
The 12 second-place teams and the four best group winners of the UEFA Nations League 2024/2025 who finish below second place in the group stage of European qualification will take part in the butt mini-tournaments.
Round 2: the butt mini-tournaments in March 2026 will consist of single-match semifinals and finals. The 16 participants will be divided into four playoff paths. The four winners will receive tickets to the 2026 World Cup.