Uefa nations league

[Bambino7]

When did this happen?  And what the f**k is it? 

[Fuctifano]

I've got my head round how this works on about 7 separate occasions since it was announced, and then forgotten each time.

[HibeeJibee]

Put at simplest: it's a third competitive tournament for European nations, after the World Cup and Euros, largely replacing friendlies. It will also be used to fill 4 places at Euro 2020.


There are 4 divisions; there are 4 groups within each division. In the 3rd & 4th divisions each group has 4 nations; in the 1st & 2nd divisions each group has 3 nations.

These groups play home-and-away in the autumn of 2018.

Winner of each group promoted to the division above for next time; bottom of each group relegated to the division below for next time. Winners of the First Division groups contest the UEFA Nations League Finals Tournament in June 2017 (i.e. filling the empty June every 4yrs). Winners of that become champions of the UEFA Nations League.


Then over the course of 2019 the Euro 2020 qualifying is held. This consists of 10 groups of 5/6 just like just now... but unlike last time around only the top 2 in each group qualify - all automatically. This fills 20 of the 24 places at Euro 2020.


Then in March 2018 the last 4 places at Euro 2020 are filled. This is done by giving 1 place to each Nations League division - the highest team in each group not to have qualified for Euro 2020 through regular qualifying com together to contest SFs & Final, in a neutral city, with the 4 divisional winners qualifying... Accordingly a couple of 'smaller' countries are guaranteed to qualify for Euro 2020, and any bigger countries who screwed-up qualifying are likely to get a second chance.


So the overall schedule of international football from now until Euro 2020 will look like this:

Mar 2017 - 2x World Cup qualifiers or friendlies
Jun 2017 - 2x World Cup qualifiers or friendlies
Summer 2017 - Confederations Cup (host Russia)
Sep 2017 - 2x World Cup qualifiers
Oct 2017 - 2x World Cup qualifiers
Nov 2017 - 2x World Cup playoffs or friendlies

Mar 2018 - 2x friendlies; or Artemio Franchi Intercontinental Trophy (host Italy)
Summer 2018 - World Cup (host Russia)
Sep 2018 - 2x Nations League group games
Oct 2018 - 2x Nations League group games
Nov 2018 - 2x Nations League group games

Mar 2019 - 2x Euro 2020 qualifiers
Jun 2019 - 2x Euro 2020 qualifiers
Summer 2019 - UEFA Nations League Finals Tournament (host tbc)
Sep 2019 - 2x Euro 2020 qualifiers
Oct 2019 - 2x Euro 2020 qualifiers
Nov 2019 - 2x Euro 2020 qualifiers

Mar 2020 - Nations League playoffs for Euro 2020, single-leg SFs & Finals; or 2x friendlies
Jun 2020 - 2x friendlies
Summer 2020 - Euro 2020 (held Europe-wide)

Edited January 26, 2017 by HibeeJibee

[Sergeant Wilson]

[Fuctifano]

2 hours ago, Fuctifano said:

I've got my head round how this works on about 7 separate occasions since it was announced, and then forgotten each time.

 

7 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

Put at simplest: <400 words later>
Summer 2020 - Euro 2020 (held Europe-wide)

8.

[HibeeJibee]

I know, I know . But it's not really any easier to explain that that.

Given that the entire exercise then culminates in a Euro 2020 being held over 13 different countries makes things even worse of course.


At the end of 4yrs you'll also get 3 bona fide global winners (Confederations Cup; Artemio Franchi Trophy; World Cup) and 2 bona fide continental winners (Nations League; Euros).

Perhaps they should arrange another tournament to decide the overall winner ...

[HibeeJibee]

UEFA's "explanatories":

Edited January 26, 2017 by HibeeJibee

[HibeeJibee]

Right now these would be the NL draw-pots:

Division A
Pot 1 - Germany, Russia, Belgium, Portugal
Pot 2 - Spain, England, Italy, Switzerland
Pot 3 - Croatia, Poland, France, Iceland

Division B
Pot 1 - Netherlands, Austria, Wales, Ukraine
Pot 2 - Eire, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovakia
Pot 3 - Sweden, Romania, Czech Rep, Turkey

Division C
Pot 1 - Slovenia, Northern Ireland, Israel, Albania
Pot 2 - Denmark, Greece, Montenegro, Norway
Pot 3 - Scotland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Lithuania
Pot 4 - Finland, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, [Blank]

Division D
Pot 1 - Estonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia
Pot 2 - Latvia, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan, Moldova
Pot 3 - FYR Macedonia, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Malta
Pot 4 - San Marino, Andorra, Gibraltar, Kosovo

[Salvo Montalbano]

What happens in the (surely likely) event that all 12 teams in Division A qualify for the Euros? Does Division B get two play off winner slots or is there some other way of organising who takes that space? Highest UEFA ranking team not to qualify or something? 

[forameus]

14 hours ago, Salvo Montalbano said:

What happens in the (surely likely) event that all 12 teams in Division A qualify for the Euros? Does Division B get two play off winner slots or is there some other way of organising who takes that space? Highest UEFA ranking team not to qualify or something? 

Conkers.

[HibeeJibee]

If it had run ahead of Euro 2016 my recollection is that everyone except the Netherlands would already have qualified and so they would have qualified by default... If all 12 make it - I am not sure that is hugely likely but it's certainly possible - then my expectation would be that the place drops to Division B and they only have 2 Sfs (or 2 Finals depending upon your preferred nomenclature).

It's also been announced that seeding pots for Euro 2020 qualifying will be based on NL finishing positions: not had time to digest the full ramifications of that (will surely mean lots of tie-breaks on GD, GF, etc.)... but could be negative given we're Division C, i.e. reaching Pot 3 could require winning our group.

Edited January 27, 2017 by HibeeJibee

[Bambino7]

On 27/01/2017 at 11:31, HibeeJibee said:

If it had run ahead of Euro 2016 my recollection is that everyone except the Netherlands would already have qualified and so they would have qualified by default... If all 12 make it - I am not sure that is hugely likely but it's certainly possible - then my expectation would be that the place drops to Division B and they only have 2 Sfs (or 2 Finals depending upon your preferred nomenclature).

It's also been announced that seeding pots for Euro 2020 qualifying will be based on NL finishing positions: not had time to digest the full ramifications of that (will surely mean lots of tie-breaks on GD, GF, etc.)... but could be negative given we're Division C, i.e. reaching Pot 3 could require winning our group.

Even you can't sex this tournament up m8.

[HibeeJibee]

Difficult to argue with that.

I suppose it's like an international version of the Drybrough Cup or ZDS Trophy - people aren't going to get very interested in a third competition unless they make the final - and having an extremely involved format doesn't help.

[DiegoDiego]

I like the basic format, it's very similar to how the ice hockey world championships have been run for decades. Much as Montrose will likely never grace the Premiership but would love promotion to League one, it'll be good for countries like Finland (or dare I say Scotland) who have very little chance of making a major tournament but can aim for legitimate success with a promotion. It would also give added meaning to what are currently friendlies, Scotland vs Denmark would perhaps have been slightly less dreadful if a promotion/relegation was riding on it.

Where it fails is with the unnecessary complication of Euro qualifying spots.

[Joey Jo Jo Junior Shabadoo]

On 1/26/2017 at 16:35, HibeeJibee said:

UEFA's "explanatories":

[HibeeJibee]

41 minutes ago, DiegoDiego said:

I like the basic format, it's very similar to how the ice hockey world championships have been run for decades. Much as Montrose will likely never grace the Premiership but would love promotion to League one, it'll be good for countries like Finland (or dare I say Scotland) who have very little chance of making a major tournament but can aim for legitimate success with a promotion. It would also give added meaning to what are currently friendlies, Scotland vs Denmark would perhaps have been slightly less dreadful if a promotion/relegation was riding on it.

Where it fails is with the unnecessary complication of Euro qualifying spots.

Seems they plan to run it every other year too. Overkill maybe. Presumably it won't receive WC slots though. Also means a Finals Tournament then Confederations Cup in one June.

[DutchBorderer]

Think this is the best explanation for the birth (it might have been summoned through Satanic rituals, I'm not sure yet) of this eldritch abomination of a tournament;

 

[Enigma]

At least I can now see Scotland be relegated...

[Antiochas III]

On 26/01/2017 at 16:47, HibeeJibee said:

Right now these would be the NL draw-pots:

Division A
Pot 1 - Germany, Russia, Belgium, Portugal
Pot 2 - Spain, England, Italy, Switzerland
Pot 3 - Croatia, Poland, France, Iceland

Division B
Pot 1 - Netherlands, Austria, Wales, Ukraine
Pot 2 - Eire, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovakia
Pot 3 - Sweden, Romania, Czech Rep, Turkey

Division C
Pot 1 - Slovenia, Northern Ireland, Israel, Albania
Pot 2 - Denmark, Greece, Montenegro, Norway
Pot 3 - Scotland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Lithuania
Pot 4 - Finland, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, [Blank]

Division D
Pot 1 - Estonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia
Pot 2 - Latvia, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan, Moldova
Pot 3 - FYR Macedonia, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Malta
Pot 4 - San Marino, Andorra, Gibraltar, Kosovo

That's a lot of air miles for Faroe Islands.

 

Edit: oh wait the pot is the seeding.  

Edited February 1, 2017 by Antiochas III

[Latino Lover]

Probably not best place for it but didn't seem worth a new thread. Germany please.

 

http://bbc.in/2mZadkp