Nations League Group Stage Ends, Quarter-Finalists Revealed

Nations League group stage has concluded, and the tournament is set to resume next year with knockout rounds and relegation/promotion play-offs.

Quarter-finals
In League A, the top two teams from each of the four groups have advanced to the quarter-finals which will take place in March. The eight teams progressing are: Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. The draw for the quarter-finals will occur on November 22 in Nyon, Switzerland. The winners will then move on to the Nations League Finals in June.

Promotion and Relegation
Additionally, teams finishing first in Groups B, C and D have earned automatic promotion. These promoted teams are:
To League A: Czech Republic, England, Norway and Wales.
To League B: North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Sweden and either Romania or Kosovo.
To League C: Moldova and San Marino.

On the other hand, relegation has affected the bottom teams in each group:
To League B: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Poland and Switzerland.
To League C: Albania, Finland, Kazakhstan and Montenegro.
To League D: Azerbaijan, Lithuania.

Promotion/Relegation Play-offs

In March, teams that finish third in League A will face second-place teams from League B with the winners moving up to League A. Similarly, third-place teams in League B will play second-place teams from League C and the bottom two teams in League C will face the runners-up in League D.

Home Nations

Meanwhile, England having won their group in League B are automatically promoted to League A and will not participate in the March play-offs. However, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will face play-offs to determine their future positions. Notably, Wales has already secured promotion to League A.

Impact on World Cup Qualifying

Finally, top Nations League teams who do not directly qualify for the World Cup can secure play-off spots. England, Wales and Northern Ireland all have potential paths with World Cup qualifying seedings based on FIFA rankings.