The2018–19 UEFA Nations League was the inaugural season of theUEFA Nations League, an internationalassociation football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations ofUEFA.[1] The league phase of the competition was played between September and November 2018, with the finals tournament for the group winners from League A taking place in Portugal in June 2019. Team performances in the league phase were used to seed teams for thequalifying group stage ofUEFA Euro 2020, and awarded berths in theplay-offs, which decided four of the twenty-four final tournament slots.
The format and schedule of the UEFA Nations League was formally approved by the UEFA Executive Committee on 4 December 2014.[2][3] According to the approved format,[1][4][5] the 55 UEFA national teams were divided into four divisions (called "leagues"):[4] 12 teams in League A, 12 teams in League B, 15 teams in League C, and 16 teams in League D.[4] For the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, teams were divided according to theirUEFA national team coefficients after the conclusion of the2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers (play-off results were not included), with the highest-ranked teams playing in League A, etc.[6]
Each league was divided into four groups of three or four teams, so each team played four or six matches within their group (using the home-and-awayround-robin format), on double matchdays in September, October and November 2018.
In the top division, League A, teams competed to become the UEFA Nations League champions. The four group winners of League A qualified for the Nations League Finals in June 2019, which was played in a knockout format, consisting of the semi-finals, third place play-off, and final. The semi-final pairings, along with the administrative home teams for the third place play-off and final, were determined by means of an open draw on 3 December 2018.[7] Host country Portugal was selected among the four qualified teams on 3 December 2018 by the UEFA Executive Committee,[8][9] with the winners of the final crowned as the Nations League champions.
Teams also competed forpromotion and relegation to a higher or lower league. In each league, the four group winners (except League A) were promoted, while the last-placed teams of each group (except League D) were initially to be relegated; the exception was in League C, where due to different-sized groups, the three fourth-placed teams and the lowest-ranking third-placed team were initially to be relegated. However, due to a revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated, and some second-placed and third-placed teams were also promoted.
If two or more teams in the same group were equal on points on completion of the league phase, the following tie-breaking criteria were applied:[6]
Higher number of points obtained in the matches played among the teams in question;
Superior goal difference in matches played among the teams in question;
Higher number of goals scored in the matches played among the teams in question;
Higher number of goals scored away from home in the matches played among the teams in question;
If, after having applied criteria 1 to 4, teams still had an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 4 were reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings.[note 1] If this procedure did not lead to a decision, criteria 6 to 10 applied;
Superior goal difference in all group matches;
Higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
Higher number of away goals scored in all group matches;
Higher number of wins in all group matches;
Higher number of away wins in all group matches;
Disciplinary points in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
To determine the worst third-placed team in League C, the results against the teams in fourth place were discarded. The following criteria were applied:
Higher number of points;
Superior goal difference;
Higher number of goals scored;
Higher number of goals scored away from home;
Higher number of wins;
Higher number of wins away from home;
Disciplinary points in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
Individual league rankings were established according to the following criteria:[6]
Position in the group;
Higher number of points;
Superior goal difference;
Higher number of goals scored;
Higher number of goals scored away from home;
Higher number of wins;
Higher number of wins away from home;
Disciplinary points in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
In order to rank teams in leagues composed of different-sized groups, the following procedure is applied:[6]
The results against fourth-placed teams were not taken into account for the purposes of comparing teams placed first, second, and third in their respective groups.
All results were taken into account for the purposes of comparing teams placed fourth in their respective groups.
The ranking of the top four teams in League A was determined by their finish in the Nations League Finals (first to fourth).[6]
For the purposes of the European Championship qualifying group stage draw and the European qualifying play-offs, overall UEFA Nations League rankings were established as follows:[6]
The 12 League A teams were ranked 1st to 12th according to their league rankings.
The 12 League B teams were ranked 13th to 24th according to their league rankings.
The 15 League C teams were ranked 25th to 39th according to their league rankings.
The 16 League D teams were ranked 40th to 55th according to their league rankings.
The main qualifying process began in March 2019 instead of immediately in September 2018 following the2018 FIFA World Cup and ended in November 2019. The format remained largely the same, although only 20 of the 24 spots for the finals tournament were decided from the main qualifying process, leaving four spots still to be decided. The 55 teams were drawn into 10 groups after the completion of the UEFA Nations League (five groups of five teams and five groups of six teams, with the four UEFA Nations League Finals participants guaranteed to be drawn into groups of five teams), with the top two teams in each group qualifying.[2][3] The draw seeding was based on the overall rankings of the Nations League.[6] The qualifiers were played on double matchdays in March, June, September, October, and November 2019.[4]
Following the qualifying group stage, thequalifying play-offs took place in October and November 2020. Unlike previous editions, the participants of the play-offs were not decided based on results from the qualifying group stage. Instead, 16 teams were selected based on their performance in the Nations League. These teams were divided into four paths, each containing four teams, with one team from each path qualifying for the final tournament. Each league had its own play-off path if at least four teams were available. The Nations League group winners automatically qualified for the play-off path of their league. If a group winner had already qualified through the conventional qualifying group stage, they were replaced by the next best-ranked team in the same league. However, if there were not enough teams in the same league, then the spot would go to the next-best team in the overall ranking. However, group winners could not face teams from a higher league.[10]
Each play-off path featured two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final. The best-ranked team hosted the fourth-ranked team, and the second-ranked team hosted the third-ranked team. The host of the final was decided by a draw, with semi-final winner 1 or 2 hosting the final. The four play-off path winners joined the 20 teams which had already qualified for UEFA Euro 2020.[2][3]
Map showing the leagues each national team participated in.
League A
League B
League C
League D
All 55 UEFA national teams were eligible to compete in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League. The 55 members at the time were divided into the four "Leagues" (12 teams in League A, 12 teams in League B, 15 teams in League C, and 16 teams in League D) according to theirUEFA national team coefficients after the conclusion of the2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers (not including the play-offs), with the highest-ranked teams playing in League A, etc.[4][13][14] The seeding pots for the draw were announced on 7 December 2017.[15]
For political reasons, Armenia and Azerbaijan (due to theNagorno-Karabakh conflict), as well as Russia and Ukraine (due to theRussian military intervention in Ukraine), could not be drawn in the same group. Due to winter venue restrictions, a group could contain a maximum of two of the following teams: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania. Due to excessive travel restrictions, only one of Andorra, Faroe Islands, or Gibraltar could be drawn with Kazakhstan, while Gibraltar could not be with Azerbaijan if they had Kazakhstan.[20]
The host of the Nations League Finals, Portugal, was selected from the four qualified teams. The semi-finals pairings were determined by means of an open draw, along with the administrative home teams for the third place play-off and final. The draw took place on 3 December 2018, 14:30CET (13:30local time), at theShelbourne Hotel inDublin, Republic of Ireland.[7][21] For scheduling purposes, the semi-final pairing involving the host team was considered to be semi-final 1.
Times areCEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times are in parentheses).
^Due to revamp of the format for the2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated, and the second-placed teams in each group were also promoted.
^Due to revamp of the format for the2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated, and the second-placed teams in each group were also promoted.
^Due to revamp of the format for the2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated, and the second-placed teams in each group were also promoted.
^Due to revamp of the format for the2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated, and the second-placed teams in each group were also promoted.
^Due to revamp of the format for the2020–21 UEFA Nations League, the second-placed teams in each group and the best third-placed team among all groups were also promoted.
^abTied on head-to-head results. Overall goal difference was used as the tiebreaker.
^Due to revamp of the format for the2020–21 UEFA Nations League, the second-placed teams in each group and the best third-placed team among all groups were also promoted.
^Due to revamp of the format for the2020–21 UEFA Nations League, the second-placed teams in each group and the best third-placed team among all groups were also promoted.
^Due to revamp of the format for the2020–21 UEFA Nations League, the second-placed teams in each group and the best third-placed team among all groups were also promoted.
The prize money to be distributed was announced in March 2018, with a total of €76.25 million in solidarity and bonus fees due to be distributed to the 55 participating national teams.[27] However, in October 2018, the solidarity fees and bonus payments for group winners were increased by 50%, while the bonuses for the teams appearing in the Nations League Finals also increased, resulting in a total of €112.875 million in prize money.[28]
The solidarity fees per team were scaled by league:
League A: €2.25 million
League B: €1.5 million
League C: €1.125 million
League D: €750,000
In addition, the group winners of each league received the following bonus fees:
League A group winners: €2.25 million
League B group winners: €1.5 million
League C group winners: €1.125 million
League D group winners: €750,000
The four group winners of League A, which participated in the Nations League Finals, also received the following bonus fees based on performance:
Winners: €6 million
Runners-up: €4.5 million
Third place: €3.5 million
Fourth place: €2.5 million
This meant that the maximum amount of solidarity and bonus fees was €10.5 million for a team from League A, €3 million for a team from League B, €2.25 million for a team from League C, and €1.5 million for a team from League D.
Teams who failed in theUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying group stage could still qualify for the final tournament via the play-offs. Each league in the UEFA Nations League was allocated one of the four remaining UEFA Euro 2020 places. Four teams from each league who had not already qualified for the European Championship finals competed in the play-offs of their league, which were played in October and November 2020. The play-off berths were first allocated to each group winner, and if any of the group winners had already qualified for the European Championship finals, then to the next best ranked team of the league, etc.
The team selection process determined the 16 teams that competed in the play-offs based ona set of criteria.[29] Teams inbold advanced to the play-offs.
^When there were two or more teams tied in points, criteria 1 to 4 were applied. After these criteria were applied, they may have defined the position of some of the teams involved, but not all of them. For example, if there was a three-way tie on points, the application of the first four criteria could only break the tie for one of the teams, leaving the other two teams still tied. In this case, the tiebreaking procedure was resumed, from the beginning, for those teams that were still tied.
^abcIf two or more associations had the same reference period coefficient, the following criteria were applied to the most recent half cycle:[6]
Coefficient;
Average goal difference;
Average number of goals scored;
Average number of away goals scored;
Average disciplinary points (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
^"UNL Media Briefing"(PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 20 September 2017. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 5 September 2018. Retrieved24 January 2018.
Portugal (1st title)
Netherlands
England
Switzerland
Aleksandar Mitrović(6 goals)
