The inaugural Uefa Nations League has gripped the continent so far but there is still much to play for.
England booked their place in the finals after coming from behind to defeat Croatia 2-1 on Sunday courtesy of goals from Jesse Lingard in the 78th minute and a Harry Kane winner five minutes from the end.
The victory ensures Gareth Southgate’s side finish top of League A, Group 4, fending off stern competition from Zlatko Dalic’s World Cup finalists and Spain.
England will now head into the inaugural finals knockout tournament, but when will they be held? Who else will be competing in them? And what’s left to play for for those who failed to qualify?
When are the finals and who has qualified?
The Uefa Nations League Finals will be a knockout tournament taking place next year in June 2019 and will be competed for by the four group winners in League A.
So far, England have qualified alongside Group A3 winners Portugal, who secured their place in the finals after drawing 0-0 with Italy on Saturday, while Switzerland topped Group A2 in dramatic fashion, coming from two goals down to beat favourites Belgium 5-2 on Sunday.
Roberto Martinez’s side only needed a draw to secure progression to the final four, but a Haris Seferovic hat-trick condemned the Red Devils to a second-place finish.
The last spot in next year’s finals will go to the winners of Group A1 which will be contested on Monday evening; at present France sit atop the group having played all their matches but the Netherlands will have a chance to qualify should they secure a result in their final match.
Ronald Koeman’s side travel to already-relegated Germany where a draw will be enough to take them to the final on goal difference ahead of the World Cup champions.
When all finalists are determined, a draw will take place in Dublin on Monday 3 December to decide which teams will compete in the two semi-finals – there will also be a third-place play-off and the obligatory final after the semis.
Portugal will host the finals – taking place at both Porto’s Estadio do Dragao and the Estadio D. Afonso Henriques in Guimaraes – with the nation given rights to stage the finals having topped their group above Italy and Poland who both expressed an interest in hosting.
The finalists are also guaranteed at least a play-off place should they fail to reach Uefo Euro 2020 automatically via the European Qualifiers.
Promotion, relegation and permutations
Alongside the finals, there is also a system of promotion and relegation in the Uefa Nations League which will determine where nations are placed in the next instalment of the competition.
Promotion will only apply to nations in Leagues B, C and D, while relegation is only applicable for nations positioned in Leagues A, B and C.
Those promoted will not only move up a league for the next UEFA Nations League but they are also assured of at least a play-off place should they fail to reach Uefa Euro 2020 automatically via the European Qualifiers.
Nations 0ut of contention (teams that neither finish first or last) will not face relegation or promotion, however, their final position is not meaningless as the final Uefa Nations League ranking will help determine their seeding for the Uefa Euro 2020 qualifying draw, which takes place on 2 December.
For example, nations in League A will be ranked from 1st to 12th depending on their final position in a group, as well as points accumulated, goals scored, goal difference, etc. This will work the same with each other league.
How the leagues are shaping up
So far in League A, the aforementioned nations have already qualified for the finals (England, Portugal and Switzerland) while the final position will be determined on Monday in the Germany vs. Netherlands match, which will see either Les Bleus or Oranje progress to the finals.
All relegated teams have already been confirmed in each League A group, with Germany, Iceland, Croatia and Poland all finishing bottom of their groups.
In League B, Denmark, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ukraine have all secured promotion to the top level for the next Uefa Nations League, while Sweden and Russia will clash for the final promotion spot in the Friends Arena on Tuesday night – a result will be enough for Russia to top Group B2.
Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Turkey have already suffered relegation from League B, while one of either the Czech Republic or Slovakia will face the drop, which will be determined when the nations meet on Monday evening – the latter must win to survive.
In League C, only Finland have guaranteed themselves promotion so far while Scotland could join the Scandinavian nation should they triumph against Israel in Group C1 on Tuesday evening at Hampden Park.
Meanwhile, Norway and Bulgaria both sit on 10 points in Group C3, with both nations playing on Monday night against Cyprus and Slovenia respectively – there is also only one point separating the sides on goal difference.
Elsewhere Serbia will guarantee themselves promotion with a victory against already-relegated Lithuania in Group C4, while Romania must win against Montenegro to have any chance of topping the group ahead of Serbia.
Those already relegated from League C are Estonia, Slovenia, Albania and Lithuania, as well as the worst third-place team from the groups of four.
Finally, in League D Georgia and Belarus have already secured promotion, while Kosovo could join them should they clinch a result against Azerbaijan on Tuesday, and should Macedonia win or draw against Gibraltar they too will clinch promotion.
The post Explained: what happens next in the Nations League, and what’s left to play for appeared first on Squawka News.
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