December 17 – Italy and England were drawn in the same Nations League group Thursday, setting up two mouth-watering rematches next year of their European Championship final.
The group also includes Germany and Hungary, with teams playing each other at home and away between June and September, 2022.
The next edition of the Nations League will effectively also be warm-up games for the World Cup which kicks off in November in Qatar.
World champions and defending Nations League title holders France were drawn in a group that includes Croatia in a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final. The group winners in League A advance to a Final Four mini-tournament in June 2023 to crown the champion.
The Nations League divides the 55 European teams into three levels of 16 countries each, with seven minnows in the smallest fourth level. Group winners in Leagues B, C and D are promoted into the league above for the subsequent group stage in 2024. Last-place teams in the top three tiers are relegated one level.
Crucially, teams can also reach the qualifying playoffs for the 2024 European Championship based on their overall ranking in the Nations League – the format that enabled Hungary, Slovakia, Scotland and North Macedonia to play at Euro 2020.
UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE 2022-23 DRAW
Group A1: France, Denmark, Croatia, Austria
Group A2: Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Czech Republic
Group A3: Italy, Germany, England, Hungary
Group A4: Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, Wales
Group B1: Ukraine, Scotland, Ireland, Armenia
Group B2: Iceland, Russia, Israel, Albania
Group B3: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Finland, Romania, Montenegro
Group B4: Sweden, Norway, Serbia, Slovenia
Group C1: Turkey, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Faroe Islands
Group C2: Northern Ireland, Greece, Kosovo, Cyprus/Estonia
Group C3: Slovakia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan/Moldova
Group C4: Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Georgia, Gibraltar
Group D1: Latvia, Andorra, Liechtenstein, Kazakhstan/Moldova
Group D2: San Marino, Malta, Cyprus/Estonia