2024-25 UEFA Nations League: Everything you need to know

The fourth edition of the men’s UEFA Nations League competition will get underway this autumn and there are some significant changes to the competition’s format.

Before then, teams found out who they will face in the competition when the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League draw took place on Thursday 8 February.

Here we look to answer some of your key questions ahead of the latest edition of the competition.

What is the Nations League?

The men’s UEFA Nations League sees the 54 UEFA members split into four leagues based on their results in the 2022-23 competition.

Once they have been separated into Leagues A, B, C and D, they are then divided once more into pots depending on how they performed last time out ahead of the UEFA Nations League draw.

For Leagues A, B and C, the draw saw them placed in four groups of four teams, whilst for D there were two groups of three teams.

Those in League A will have the chance of winning the competition should they qualify for the Finals, whilst across the four leagues the rest will be battling it out for promotion or to avoid relegation.

How does the Nations League work?

Every country will play home and away matches against the other teams in their mini-group.

So for those in League A, B and C, that means they will have six matches in the group stage, whilst for D there will be four.

League A teams will be aiming to finish in the top two so they can progress to the two-legged quarter-final stage, where they will have the chance to reach the four-team UEFA Nations League Finals in the summer of 2025.

For sides in B, C and D, they will be hoping to secure promotion to the league above, whilst those in the top three leagues run the risk of relegation.

What changes have been made to the Nations League?

In previous years, only the four League A group winners had the chance to win the tournament as they qualified for the four-team Finals tournament directly.

This time around, the top two in each of the four League A groups will progress to the quarter-finals, where they will then play home and away matches against their opponent in a bid to reach the Finals tournament.

The fourth-placed teams in Leagues A and B are automatically relegated, whilst the two lowest-ranked countries in League C are relegated to D.

That creates the space for the group winners in Leagues B, C and D to be automatically promoted.

There will then be home-and-away matches between the third-ranked teams in League A and the runners-up in B, likewise between those in the same positions in B and C, in promotion/relegation play-offs.

The two runners-up in League D will also have the chance to face the two best-ranked teams who finished fourth in League C in promotion-relegation play-offs.

When is the UEFA Nations League draw?

The draw for the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League took place in Paris on Thursday 8 February 2024 and you can see the draw in full via the hyperlink. 

What Nations League are England men’s team in?

The Three Lions were relegated from League A last time out so England men’s team will be in League B for the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League.

That means they will be hoping to finish top of their League B group to secure automatic promotion.

If they miss out on top spot, they could have another chance of qualification via a two-game play-off if they finish runners-up in their mini-group.

When is the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League Finals?

The Finals tournament for the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League will take place in early June 2025.

The two semi-finals will take place on Wednesday 4 June and Thursday 5 June, with the winners taking part in the final on Sunday 8 June and the two defeated sides battling it out for third place earlier on the same day.

What are the dates for the 2024-25 Nations League fixtures?

The provisional fixture dates have also been set, with venues and kick-off times to be confirmed.

Republic of Ireland v England - Saturday 7 September 2024
England v Finland - Tuesday 10 September 2024
England v Greece - Thursday 10 October 2024
Finland v England - Sunday 13 October 2024
Greece v England - Thursday 14 November
England v Republic of Ireland - Sunday 17 November 2024

League A quarter-finals and knockout play-offs: 20-25 March 2025
Final tournament: 4-8 June 2025

Previous men's Nations League winners

2019: Portugal (beat Netherlands 1-0 in Porto in the final)
2021: France (beat Spain 2-1 in Milan in the final)
2023: Spain (beat Croatia 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in Rotterdam in the final)

How to watch England in the Nations League

You can watch England play in the UEFA Nations League on ITV channels and ITVX in the United Kingdom.

The previous edition of the Nations League was broadcast on Channel 4 but ITV will have the television rights for all England men’s football matches outside major tournament finals from September 2024 through to June 2028.