We’re going to try and make this as simple as possible but it really isn’t easy.
The Nations League starts in September.
There are four leagues – there are four groups in each of those leagues. If you’re in League D, C, or B, you can fight for promotion to a higher league – they would join that league in 2020 for the next campaign.
The first Nations League begins in September and rounds up in June of 2019 with a chance of winning a cup for the winners of the four groups of League A who enter into the ‘Final Four’.
- Matchday 1: September 6-9, 2018
- Matchday 2: September 9-11, 2018
- Matchday 3: October 11-13, 2018
- Matchday 4: October 14-16, 2018
- Matchday 5: November 15-17, 2018
- Matchday 6: November 18-20, 2018
- Finals: June 5-9, 2019
Ireland were seeded in League B with Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic and Turkey.
The group games for the Euro 2020 qualification process begin in March but the Nations League can help…
Each Nations League league gets four play-off spots. If the winner of a group has already qualified for the Euros, the next best team which has not qualified goes into the play-offs.
Those sixteen teams will go into four groups, with the top team going to the Euros. The four teams play two one-off semi-finals and one one-off final to determine play-off winners.
Here’s the draw for the Nations League.
League A
League B
Ireland handed a mission against Denmark and Wales again.
League C
League D