When is the Nations League draw? Date, time and how to watch draw for 2026/27 tournament | OneFootball

The draw for the league phase of the 2026/27 Nations League takes place today, with teams including England, Spain and defending champions Portugal waiting to learn their opponents for the next edition.

The Selecao secured the 2024/25 trophy after a penalty shootout win over European champions Spain in June of last year, and both sides will be among the favourites as the tournament begins again in September.

Thomas Tuchel’s England side will hope to win the tournament for the first time in 2027, and though the impending World Cup is very much at the forefront of the Three Lions’ thoughts, they will hope to go far in the Nations League for the first time, with the potential that the tournament is linked to the qualification process for Euro 2028.

While the draw takes place this afternoon, the first matches of the tournament won’t be played until later this year, with matchday one scheduled for the week of 24 to 26 September 2026.

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When is the Nations League draw?

The draw is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 12 February at 6pm CET in Brussels, Belgium.

The draw will be shown live across Uefa’s channels, and users can stream for free on the Uefa YouTube channel and the website.

How does the draw work?

The 54 participating nations are divided into four leagues, based on the Access List and depending on the results of the 2024/25 UNL League C/D play-offs in March 2026.

The League A, B and C draws each determine four groups of four teams. Each team plays six matches in their group – home and away against the other three nations.

The League D draw determines two groups of three teams. Each team plays four matches in their group – home and away against the other two nations.

There are some specific draw conditions to note. Firstly, Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot de drawn against Kosovo, and there is also a restriction on excessive travel and winter venues.

This means nations who are too far apart cannot be drawn to face each other – for example, Iceland could not face Armenia, and the Faroe Islands cannot be drawn against Kazakhstan – and countries at risk of severe winter conditions can only be drawn against one other such country in the same group.

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England are back in League A after being promoted during the 2024/25 edition (The FA via Getty Images)

League A

Pot 1: Portugal, Spain, France, Germany

Pot 2: Italy, Netherlands, Denmark, Croatia

Pot 3: Serbia, Belgium, England, Norway

Pot 4: Wales, Czechia, Greece, Türkiye

League B

Pot 1: Scotland, Hungary, Poland, Israel

Pot 2: Switzerland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Ukraine

Pot 3: Slovenia, Georgia, Republic of Ireland, Romania

Pot 4: Sweden, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Kosovo

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Portugal enter as defending champions and could face England (Getty Images)

League C

Pot 1: Iceland, Albania, Montenegro, Kazakhstan

Pot 2: Finland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Armenia

Pot 3: Belarus, Faroe Islands, Cyprus, Estonia

Pot 4: Latvia or Gibraltar, Luxembourg or Malta, Moldova, San Marino

League D

Pot 1: Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Gibraltar or Latvia, Malta or Luxembourg

Pot 2: Liechtenstein, Andorra

N.B. The ranking of the teams in 49th to 52nd position will be confirmed following the 2024/25 UNL League C/D play-offs in March 2026. For the draw, the teams participating in these play-off ties will be represented by placeholders.

Matchday 1: 24-26 September 2026

Matchday 2: 27-29 September 2026

Matchday 4: 4-6 October 2026

Matchday 5: 12-14 November 2026

Matchday 6: 15-17 November 2026

League A quarter-finals: 25-30 March 2027

League A/B and B/C play-offs: 25-30 March 2027

Final tournament: 9-13 June 2027

League C/D play-offs: 23-28 March 2028