When is the Nations League draw, who can England face and how to watch

Competitive international football will continue beyond this year’s World Cup

Up for grabs: UEFA Nations League trophy

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Oli Gent

2 minutes ago

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The Nations League is back for another rendition, with the draw set to take place for the 2026-27 campaign.

Roberto Martinez’s Portugal are the defending champions, having beaten Spain in last year’s final on penalties in Munich.

Alvaro Morata missed the key spot-kick for Spain before Ruben Neves slotted home the winner to hand the Portuguese their second Nations League title since the competition’s inception.

England won promotion back to League A, with Lee Carsley stepping into the role to replace Gareth Southgate in late 2024.

The Three Lions lost just once in League B, falling 2-1 to Greece at Wembley.

France and Germany completed the four teams that competed in the finals last year, with Les Bleus defeating Die Mannschaft in the third-place play-off.

The Nations League, which happens every two years, is spread into four leagues with teams vying for promotion and relegation.

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The teams that perform best in League A progress into the play-offs and finals, competing for the trophy the following year.

Performance in the Nations League can additionally help countries’ chances of qualifying for the European Championships and World Cup, but they cannot gain automatic qualification from the tournament itself.

When is the Nations League draw?

The draw for this season’s tournament is today, Thursday February 12.

It will take place at 5pm GMT from Brussels, Belgium.

How to watch Nations League draw

You can watch the Nations League for free on UEFA’s YouTube channel and official website.

Who could England play?

Similar to the Champions League, nations are ranked into pots dependent on their performance in previous Nations League campaigns.

With England getting promoted back to the top table last year, they are among some of the biggest names on the continent.

Last year’s four finalists - Portugal, Spain, France and Germany - are all in Pot 1 for League A, while England are in Pot 3 alongside Serbia, Belgium and Norway.

Holders: Portugal

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Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark and Croatia make up Pot 2, and Wales, Czechia, Greece and Turkey complete Pot 4.

As such, England will play one team from each of Pot 1, 2 and 4.

Further down the leagues, Scotland are ranked in Pot 1 for League B, along with Hungary, Poland and Israel.

They could face Pot 2’s Switzerland, Bosnia, Austria or Ukraine, Pot 3’s Slovenia, Georgia, the Republic of Ireland or Romania, and Pot 4’s Sweden, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland or Kosovo.

When will Nations League games be played?

There will be a longer international break than usual at the end of September, running into early October.

It will start on September 24, ending on October 6, with four games set to be played in that time.

The last two games of the group stage will then be played over the November international break between November 12-17.

The play-offs and finals will then take place in 2027, in March and June respectively.

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