How will we play the next Nations League with the link to WC qualifying ?

[Guest DAVIDB69]

I think a lot of folk thought it might have been cancelled because of COVID.

However it goes on and our main focus is obviously the play offs and hopefully second play off.

It’s a lot of football to cram into the autumn period, particularly the 8th/11th/14th October triple header.

 

We usually have the issues and injuries , struggling with a double header but you would have concerns with three games in 6 days with our squad.

 

I have a feeling that the first two nations leagues games may be played in September as semi friendlies hope for the best type approach .

 

[Ray Patterson]

Best two non-qualified sides will probably join the 10 qualy group runners up for the playoffs. 

It's UEFA's way of giving the likes of Italy and Netherlands a second chance.

[Guest Bob Mahelp]

I honestly cannae pretend to say that I understand it. 

I'd need to sit down and read through it.

[charger29]

FWIW, we're quite likely to be third seeds for the WC draw. Even if we win our next 7/8 games before the draw we'd still be struggling to reach 20th place in the rankings and get the #2 seed that comes with it.
We do need some semi decent results to avoid dropping to the 4th pot though. Those two Russia losses and the Kazakhstan one really hammered us. Around 3 wins from the 7/8 should be enough for pot 3.

[forameus]

Euro 2020 was always going to be such a massive fucking deal to us.  The Euros has become far easier to qualify for in recent years, culminating in 2020 being the easiest by some considerable distance.  If we fail from this current position, it's going to be a massive blow.  I'd go as far as saying there is absolutely no chance we're going to get out of our World Cup group without a very kind draw, and it'll probably be like that most years unless we significantly improve.  

Anyway, didn't they already announce the Nations League method?  @charger29you're usually shit hot at this stuff.  I thought the playoff system was massively expanded with every group runner-up and a couple of Nations League sides in it to make up 16?  Or am I completely making that up?

[craigkillie]

4 minutes ago, forameus said:

Euro 2020 was always going to be such a massive fucking deal to us.  The Euros has become far easier to qualify for in recent years, culminating in 2020 being the easiest by some considerable distance.  If we fail from this current position, it's going to be a massive blow.  I'd go as far as saying there is absolutely no chance we're going to get out of our World Cup group without a very kind draw, and it'll probably be like that most years unless we significantly improve.  

Anyway, didn't they already announce the Nations League method?  @charger29you're usually shit hot at this stuff.  I thought the playoff system was massively expanded with every group runner-up and a couple of Nations League sides in it to make up 16?  Or am I completely making that up?

How can Euro 2020 be the easiest to qualify by some considerable distance? It's not any easier to qualify for than Euro 2016 was - yes there was one extra place, but the host place last time was taken up by France, who would obviously take up a spot anyway.

I think you're right about the play-offs.

[forameus]

3 minutes ago, craigkillie said:

How can Euro 2020 be the easiest to qualify by some considerable distance? It's not any easier to qualify for than Euro 2016 was - yes there was one extra place, but the host place last time was taken up by France, who would obviously take up a spot anyway.

I think you're right about the play-offs.

"Considerable distance" is probably forum hyperbole, but the playoff spot is surely easier to get into? In 2016 your playoff spot depended on results across your qualifying group, whereas for 2020 it required you to beat Israel and Albania.  To qualify automatically they'd both be exactly the same, but I'd say the playoff route has been made easier.

[craigkillie]

It might be easier to get into the play-off spot, but it's harder to get through them. The only countries qualification has been made easier to qualify for are the ones in League D.

[charger29]

Euro 2020 was always going to be such a massive fucking deal to us.  The Euros has become far easier to qualify for in recent years, culminating in 2020 being the easiest by some considerable distance.  If we fail from this current position, it's going to be a massive blow.  I'd go as far as saying there is absolutely no chance we're going to get out of our World Cup group without a very kind draw, and it'll probably be like that most years unless we significantly improve.  
Anyway, didn't they already announce the Nations League method?  [mention=60808]charger29[/mention]you're usually shit hot at this stuff.  I thought the playoff system was massively expanded with every group runner-up and a couple of Nations League sides in it to make up 16?  Or am I completely making that up?

Yeah, the format has been decided for the next WC/NL playoffs. The 10 runners up from the standard groups join the 2 highest ranked teams from the Nations League not already qualified for the WC or playoffs. Those 12 are drawn into 3 mini knockouts of single leg semis and final.

I haven't checked this but presumably with 10 group winner + 10 runners up, that'd mean 21st and 22nd in the NL (the equivalent of the best two 2nd place teams in League B) would be the lowest possible ranking which could get you a playoff spot. This assumes that every team in League A and top of League B have finished in the top two of their quali group which isn't close to guaranteed. Especially with Iceland and BosHerz (from League A) looking like 3rd seeds for WC quali.
Difficult to say if we even have a chance at a playoff spot tbh. No matter where we finish in the NL.

[AmericanFan]

What was the reasoning behind starting the Nations League? Money?

With WC and Euro qualifying, seems there were already plenty of national team matches.

[forameus]

2 hours ago, AmericanFan said:

What was the reasoning behind starting the Nations League? Money?

With WC and Euro qualifying, seems there were already plenty of national team matches.

Money will always come into it, and UEFA are never going to do anything out of the goodness of their collective hearts, but this did have benefits for those competing.  Basically, they've replaced friendlies.  Before each national association had the responsibility to either organise friendlies with other nations (almost every nation) or do everything in their power not to (those playing the rankings and...us).  So instead of that, they put in this tournament to give enforced matches against countries around the same level, so they could sell TV rights to matches that actually meant something.  Also offered the carrot of qualification to diddies like us (and some even worse) 

[AmericanFan]

8 hours ago, forameus said:

Money will always come into it, and UEFA are never going to do anything out of the goodness of their collective hearts, but this did have benefits for those competing.  Basically, they've replaced friendlies.  Before each national association had the responsibility to either organise friendlies with other nations (almost every nation) or do everything in their power not to (those playing the rankings and...us).  So instead of that, they put in this tournament to give enforced matches against countries around the same level, so they could sell TV rights to matches that actually meant something.  Also offered the carrot of qualification to diddies like us (and some even worse) 

Gotcha. Appreciate it. Didn't know that, and it makes sense.