2024-2025 UEFA Nations League

[paokarag4]

10 hours ago, PaokCT said:

Not sure what is better, losing and getting a better chance at winning a League 2 group for Euro 2028, or winning and moving to League A. UEFA really needs to do something like all League A teams get in pot 1 or something.

The point of the Nations League was exactly that. UEFA's goal was to give the smaller nations in League C and D a path to qualify for a major tournament. Something which has been almost impossible to achieve in the past. Hence we've seen Georgia and Skopia amongst the the countries making their debut at the last 2 Euros. 

Whether it is right or not is a different conversation.  But that was always UEFA's goal by forming the play-offs through the NL. Euro qualifying is different as all the playoff participants come from the NL but World Cup qualification allows only for 4 NL group winners to participate. With the other 12 playoff participants being the runners-up from the WC qualification groups. 

So it is bad luck for Greece that we were a League B runner-up during a WC cycle. If it was a Euro cycle we would have almost certainly been handed a playoff birth. If we were to be promoted to League A, then regardless of where we finish in our group, we would again almost be guaranteed a playoff spot.

For reference, in the 2 playoffs for Euro qualification since the NL was introduced, by virtue of almost all of the League A teams qualifying directly, the League A teams left behind have all taken part in the playoffs. In 2024 that was Poland and Wales and in 2021 (Euro 2020) it was Iceland.

[PaokCT]

I want to say our game vs Scotland is not as important as Denmark v Portugal. A Portugal win will send us into a WCQ group we will be favorites to qualify from.

[HellasLEAF]

So when do they draw the new Nations League groups?

[pash]

This edition of the Nations League had its draw on 8 February 2024, and I believe the games began in early September of 2024. The earliest games for '25-26 will be played on 21 September, so I'd guess some time in late February of next year.

For now, the only thing we have to look forward to is the admittedly much more interesting WC2026 qualification. From wiki:

Round	Matchday		Dates
	Groups A–F	Groups G–L
First round (group stage)	—	Matchday 1	21–22 March 2025
		Matchday 2	24–25 March 2025
		Matchday 3	6–7 June 2025
		Matchday 4	9–10 June 2025
	Matchday 5		4–6 September 2025
	Matchday 6		7–9 September 2025
	Matchday 7		9–11 October 2025
	Matchday 8		12–14 October 2025
	Matchday 9		13–15 November 2025
	Matchday 10		16–18 November 2025
Second round (play-offs)	Semi-finals		26 March 2026
	Finals		31 March 2026