UEFA Nations League draw guide: Who can play who? 'Group of Death' coming?

With the 2020/21 UEFA Nations League draw approaching on Tuesday, we provide all of the details, permutations and dates.

When is the draw?

The draw takes place in Amsterdam UTC 2020/03/03 17:00.

Who can play who?

The 55 international teams have been split into four leagues (A, B, C and D) according to their position in the UEFA National Team Coefficient Rankings.

Each league is then divided by four pots, bar League D, which is divided by two pots.

Euro 2016 winners and UEFA Nations League holders Portugal are in Pot 1 of League A, joined by Netherlands, England and Switzerland.

World Cup winners France are in Pot 2 of League A, together with previous winners Spain and Italy.

World Cup runners-up Croatia and 2014 world Champions Germany are in Pot 4 of League A, meaning there will be huge chances we see a 'Group of Death' tonight.

League A

Pot 1: Portugal, Netherlands, England, Switzerland

Pot 2: Belgium, France, Spain, Italy

Pot 3: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Denmark, Sweden

Pot 4: Croatia, Poland, Germany, Iceland

League B

Pot 1: Russia, Austria, Wales, Czech Republic

Pot 2: Scotland, Norway, Serbia, Finland

Pot 3: Slovakia, Turkey, Ireland, Northern Ireland

Pot 4: Bulgaria, Israel, Hungary, Romania

League C

Pot 1: Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Georgia

Pot 2: North Macedonia, Kosovo, Belarus, Cyprus

Pot 3: Estonia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Luxembourg

Pot 4: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Moldova

League D

Pot 1: Gibraltar, Faroe Islands, Latvia, Liechtenstein

Pot 2: Andorra, Malta, San Marino

How does it work?

Whereas the 2018/19 edition had three teams per group in both League A and League B, this edition will see four teams per group.

So League A will have four groups, with one team from each pot. Leagues B and C have the same format, while League D will have one group of four and one group of three.

Teams play each other home and away, with the four group winners of League A qualifying for the Nations League Finals in June 2021, with two semi-finals, a third-place match and the final, exactly like the 2019 summer tournament in Portugal. The host will be decided when the four teams have been confirmed.

The group winners in leagues B, C and D gain promotion and those who finish bottom of the groups in Leagues A and B will be relegated.

In League C, the two teams to be relegated will be determined by two-leg play-offs in March 2022, as League D only has two teams.

Will Nations League performance have a bearing on World Cup qualification?

Only partially, and not to the same degree that the last edition has given hopes to the likes of Scotland for the Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs.

First up, the 10 group winners from the UEFA division of 2022 World Cup qualifying (starting in March 2021) will qualify directly for the World Cup.

But then, the 10 group runners-up, alongside the best two Nations League group winners who have not yet directly qualified or reached the play-offs for the World Cup, will advance to a 12-team second round

These 12 teams will be drawn into three play-off paths of four teams each, playing a semi-final and final (home teams to be drawn). The three path winners will qualify for the World Cup.

When are the games played?

Matchday 1: 3-5 September 2020

Matchday 2: 6-8 September 2020

Matchday 3: 8-10 October 2020

Matchday 4: 11-13 October 2020

Matchday 5: 12-14 November 2020

Matchday 6: 15-17 November 2020

Finals: 2, 3, 6 June 2021

Relegation play-offs: 24, 25, 28, 29 March 2022