2026–27 UEFA Nations League

The 2026–27 UEFA Nations League will be the fifth season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA. The competition will be held from September to November 2026 (league phase), March 2027 (League A quarter-finals, and League A/B and B/C play-offs), June 2027 (Nations League Finals) and March 2028 (League C/D play-offs).

Portugal are the defending champions, having won the 2025 finals.

The UEFA national teams were divided into four leagues, with Leagues A, B, and C featuring sixteen teams each, divided into four groups of four teams, while League D features six teams divided into two groups of three. The teams were allocated to leagues based on the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League final overall ranking. Each team will play six matches within their group, except for teams in League D which will play four, using the home-and-away round-robin format on matchdays from September to November 2026.

In the top division, League A, the group winners and runners-up will advance to the quarter-finals, played home-and-away over two legs in March 2027. In each tie, group winners will face a runner-up from a different group, with the group winner hosting the second leg. The four quarter-final winners will qualify for the Nations League Finals, which is played in a knockout format, consisting of the semi-finals, third place play-off and final. The semi-final pairings are determined by means of a draw. The host country will be selected, preferably from among the four qualified teams, by the UEFA Executive Committee, with the winners of the final crowned as the Nations League champions.^[1][2]

Teams also compete for promotion and relegation to a higher or lower league. The group winners in Leagues B, C, and D are directly promoted, while the last-placed teams of each group in Leagues A and B are directly relegated. As League C has four groups while League D has only two, the two worst-ranked League C teams will automatically be relegated. The competition will also feature promotion/relegation play-offs following the league phase, with the third-placed teams of League A facing the runners-up of League B, the third-placed teams of League B facing the runners-up of League C, and the two best-ranked fourth-placed teams of League C facing the runners-up of League D. The matches will be played home-and-away over two legs in March 2027 (League A/B and B/C) and another window if necessary (League C/D), with the winners going to the higher league and the losers entering the lower league.^[3]

In all two-legged ties, the higher-ranked teams host the second leg. The team that scores more goals on aggregate is the winner. If the aggregate score is level, extra time is played (the away goals rule is not applied). If the score remains level after extra time, a penalty shoot-out is used to decide the winner.^[4]

The 2026–27 UEFA Nations League is expected to be linked with UEFA Euro 2028 qualifying, providing teams another chance to qualify for UEFA Euro 2028. However, this is pending the formal approval of the format and regulations of UEFA Euro 2028.

If two or more teams in the same group are equal on points on completion of the league phase, the following tie-breaking criteria are applied:^[4]

1. Higher number of points obtained in the matches played among the teams in question;
2. Superior goal difference in matches played among the teams in question;
3. Higher number of goals scored in the matches played among the teams in question;
4. If, after having applied criteria 1 to 3, teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 3 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings.^[a] If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 5 to 11 apply;
5. Superior goal difference in all group matches;
6. Higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
7. Higher number of away goals scored in all group matches;
8. Higher number of wins in all group matches;
9. Higher number of away wins in all group matches;
10. Lower disciplinary points total in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card).
11. Higher position in the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League access list.

Notes

Individual league rankings are established according to the following criteria:^[4]

1. Position in the group;
2. Higher number of points;
3. Higher goal difference;
4. Higher number of goals scored;
5. Higher number of goals scored away from home;
6. Higher number of wins;
7. Higher number of wins away from home;
8. Lower disciplinary points total (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card).
9. Higher position in the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League access list.

Following the completion of the league phase, the interim overall UEFA Nations League rankings are established as follows:^[4]

1. The 16 League A teams are ranked 1st to 16th according to their league rankings.
2. The 16 League B teams are ranked 17th to 32nd according to their league rankings.
3. The 16 League C teams are ranked 33rd to 48th according to their league rankings.
4. The 6 League D teams are ranked 49th to 54th according to their league rankings.

Following the completion of the League A knockout stage and promotion/relegation play-offs, the final overall UEFA Nations League rankings are established. Within each of the groups listed below, teams are ordered based on their interim overall ranking.^[4]

1. The four Nations League Finals participants are ranked as follows:
   1. The winner is ranked 1st;
   2. The runner-up is ranked 2nd;
   3. The third-placed team is ranked 3rd;
   4. The fourth-placed team is ranked 4th.
2. The four League A quarter-final losers are ranked 5th to 8th.
3. The four teams directly promoted to League A, and the four winners of the League A/B play-offs, are ranked 9th to 16th.
4. The four teams directly relegated to League B, and the four losers of the League A/B play-offs, are ranked 17th to 24th.
5. The four teams directly promoted to League B, and the four winners of the League B/C play-offs, are ranked 25th to 32nd.
6. The four teams directly relegated to League C, and the four losers of the League B/C play-offs, are ranked 33rd to 40th.
7. The four League C third-placed teams remain ranked 41st to 44th.
8. The two teams directly promoted to League C, and the two winners of the League C/D play-offs, are ranked 45th to 48th.
9. The two teams directly relegated to League D, and the two losers of the League C/D play-offs, will be ranked 49th to 52nd.
10. The two League D third-placed teams remain ranked 53rd and 54th.

Below is the schedule of the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League.^[4][3]

The league phase fixture list was confirmed by UEFA on 13 February 2026, the day following the draw.^[5][6]

All 55 UEFA national teams were able to submit an entry into the competition. However, on 28 February 2022, Russia were suspended indefinitely from participating in UEFA and FIFA competitions due to their country's invasion of Ukraine.^[7]

The teams which finished bottom of their group in Leagues A and B, as well as the bottom two fourth-placed teams of League C, from the 2024–25 season moved down a league, while the group winners of Leagues B, C, and D moved up. Additionally, the winners of the promotion/relegation play-off ties will enter the higher respective league, while the losers will play in the lower league. The remaining teams stayed in their respective leagues.^[3]

For the 2026–27 draw, teams were seeded based on the 2024–25 Nations League final overall ranking, which took into account the results from the league stage, League A knockout stage, and promotion/relegation play-offs.^[4]

The draw for the league phase took place in Brussels, Belgium, on 12 February 2026.^[8]

The draw for the quarter-finals will be held after the completion of the league phase. In the draw, teams from the same group cannot be drawn against each other.^[4] The first legs will be played on 25–27 March, and the second legs will be played on 28–30 March 2027.

The host of the Nations League Finals will preferably be selected from the four qualified teams. The semi-finals pairings will be determined by means of an open draw. For scheduling purposes, the host team will be allocated to semi-final 1 as the administrative home team.^[4]

Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA.

The draw for the promotion/relegation play-offs will be held following the completion of the league phase. The League A/B and B/C play-off matches will be played from 25–27 March (first legs) and 28–30 March 2027 (second legs). To ensure enough teams are available for the March 2027 window of UEFA Euro 2028 qualifying, the League C/D play-off matches will be played from 23–25 March (first legs) and 26–28 March 2028 (second legs). Should any team participating in the League C/D play-offs advance to the UEFA Euro 2028 qualifying play-offs, then the League C/D play-offs will be cancelled, with all four teams remaining in their respective leagues.

Following the conclusion of the league phase in November 2026, an interim overall ranking will be established based on the results of each league, explicitly ordering teams from higher leagues over those from lower ones.^[4]

The final overall ranking, to be established at the conclusion of the competition, will adjust the interim overall ranking by taking into account the results of the League A knockout stage and promotion/relegation play-offs. Teams that are promoted at the end of the 2026–27 season will be ranked above those who are relegated, with the final rankings reflecting the composition of leagues for the 2028–29 UEFA Nations League.^[4]

• Official website