The group stages for the second edition of the Nations League have been decided as inaugural champions Portugal look to defend their crown. The draw took place on March 3, 2020 (Tuesday) in Amsterdam and a lot of big-name teams have been placed in the same group. All the qualified teams are segregated in four Leagues (A, B, C and D) with each league consisting of four groups except League D which has only two groups. Here is everything you need to know about Nations League 2020/21. Euro Cup 2020 Qualifier: Finland Into First Major Finals.
Holder’s Portugal have been drawn into the same group as 2018 World Cup winners France. The group also contains Croatia, who were the beaten finalist in the latest edition of the FIFA World Cup. Iceland, Belgium and Germany have been drawn into Group A2 while Spain and Germany will face each other in Group A4. Last season’s runners-up Netherlands have been placed in the same group as 2006 World Cup winner’s Italy.
UEFA Nations League 2020-21 Draw
League A
Group A1: Netherlands, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland
Group A2: England, Belgium, Denmark, Iceland
Group A3: Portugal, France, Sweden, Croatia
Group A4: Switzerland, Spain, Ukraine, Germany
League B
Group B1: Austria, Norway, Northern Ireland, Romania
Group B2: Czech Republic, Scotland, Slovakia, Israel
Group B3: Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Hungary
Group B4: Wales, Finland, Republic of Ireland, Bulgaria
League C
Group C1: Montenegro, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan
Group C2: Georgia, North Macedonia, Estonia, Armenia
Group C3: Greece, Kosovo, Slovenia, Moldova
Group C4: Albania, Belarus, Lithuania, Kazakhstan
League D
Group D1: Faroe Islands, Latvia, Andorra, Malta
Group D2: Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, San Marino
Some changes were made in the tournament for this edition as the Nations League will not guarantee any places for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Four teams from the first edition directly qualified for the Euro 2020. Portugal won the first edition of the tournament after defeating the Netherlands in the finals thanks to a goal from Goncalo Guedes. England finished third in the competition after defeating Switzerland on penalties in the third-place playoff game.
The Group stages will be played from September 2020 to November 2020 and the group winner’s from League A will advance to the semi-finals of the competition. The finals of the tournament are scheduled to take place in June 2021 while the venue is yet to be decided.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 04, 2020 06:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).