Nations League draw: Date, time and how play-offs work as Scotland and Ireland to learn fate

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The Independent

·19. November 2024

Nations League draw: Date, time and how play-offs work as Scotland and Ireland to learn fate

The Uefa Nations League has undergone changes this season, with the addition of quarter-finals to the knockout stage as well as promotion/relegation play-offs at the conclusion of the first phase.

England have already secured automatic promotion back to League A, through winning Group B2, but there is still plenty to play for elsewhere, with further matches to be played across March and June.

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That, incredibly, includes Scotland, who rescued themselves from automatic relegation with back-to-back wins over Croatia and Poland to end the campaign in third place of Group A1.

Andy Robertson’s dramatic winner in Warsaw means Steve Clarke’s side will play one of the runners-up from League B over a two-legged play-off in March, in a bid to preserve their top-tier status.

Meanwhile, Spain are the defending Nations League champions and will be out to defend their crown against the likes of France, Portugal, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands in the Nations League finals.

The draw takes place this week and here’s everything you need to know.

When is the Nations League draw?

The draw for the quarter-finals will be held on 22 November, at 11am BST. It will be followed by the draw for the promotion/relegation play-offs. A stream will be available on the Uefa website.

How does the draw work?

For the quarter-finals, League A group winners are paired with League A group runners-up. Teams from the same group, eg Germany and Netherlands, cannot be drawn against each other. The semi-final draw will then follow.

For the promotion/relegation play-offs, the following ties will be drawn: third-placed teams from League A will face the runners-up of League B, third-placed teams of League B will face the runners-up of League C, and the two best-ranked fourth-placed teams of League C will face the runners-up of League D.

The promotion/relegation play-offs are held over two legs, played home and away. If the team from the higher league wins, both teams remain in their respective league. If the team from the lower league wins, they will swap places and the team from the lower league is promoted while the losers are relegated.