The 2026-27 edition of the UEFA Nations League kicks off on Thursday, bringing back the competition's now-familiar structure of four tiered divisions in which national teams battle for both continental prestige and a route toward major tournaments.
First launched in 2018, the Nations League organizes European nations into four leagues based on ability, with promotion and relegation built into every campaign. Leagues A, B and C are each broken down into four groups of four teams, while the smallest division, League D, features just six nations split into two groups of three.
Matches will be played between September and November, with every team facing its group rivals home and away. In the elite League A, the two top finishers in each of the four groups will advance to the quarter-finals held later in the campaign, setting up a knockout stage to crown the overall Nations League champion. Meanwhile, in Leagues B, C and D, group winners earn automatic promotion to the tier above.
At the other end of the table, the bottom-placed side in each group across Leagues A, B and C will be relegated. There is also a safety net and a further path to movement between divisions: teams finishing second in their groups in Leagues B, C and D will contest play-offs against third-placed sides from Leagues A, B and C respectively, determining further promotion and relegation outcomes.
The knockout phase for League A, along with the relegation play-offs between League A and League B, and League B and League C, will be staged during the March 2027 international window. The tournament will then conclude in June 2027, when the semi-finals and final take place alongside the League C and League D promotion play-off.
Beyond the immediate prize of the trophy and divisional standing, strong performances in the Nations League carry broader significance. While no team can secure direct qualification for a World Cup or European Championship through the competition alone, top performers who fail to qualify for the 2028 European Championship via the standard qualifying route will be given a second chance through Nations League-linked play-offs for the tournament's remaining spots.
It is worth noting that UEFA also runs an equivalent Nations League competition for women's international football, following a similar format of tiered leagues and promotion-relegation dynamics.
For 2026-27, League A features some of the continent's traditional heavyweights. Group A1 pits France against Italy, Belgium and Turkey, while Group A2 sees Germany, the Netherlands, Serbia and Greece do battle. Group A3 brings together Spain, Croatia, England and the Czech Republic, and Group A4 is composed of Portugal, Denmark, Norway and Wales.
League B includes Scotland, Switzerland, Slovenia and North Macedonia in Group B1, while Group B2 has Hungary, Ukraine, Georgia and Northern Ireland. Group B3 contains Israel, Austria, the Republic of Ireland and Kosovo, and Group B4 rounds out the division with Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania and Sweden.
Down in League C, Group C1 features Albania, Finland, Belarus and San Marino, Group C2 has Montenegro, Armenia, Cyprus and Latvia, Group C3 includes Kazakhstan, Slovakia, the Faroe Islands and Moldova, and Group C4 comprises Iceland, Bulgaria, Estonia and Luxembourg.
Finally, League D's two groups of three see Gibraltar, Malta and Andorra placed in Group D1, while Lithuania, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein make up Group D2.
With fixtures now set to get under way, attention turns to how each nation navigates its group before the campaign builds toward its knockout climax next year.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.