Nations League groups draw LIVE: England draw Ireland and Greece, while Scotland will take on Portugal
The 2024/25 Nations League begins in September of this year after the conclusion of the European Championship, with the final set for next summer in early June.
England were in League B after being relegated from the top-tier League A last time around and will take on the Republic of Ireland, Finland and Greece in their group.
Scotland were promoted to the top tier, so are the home nations’ highest-ranked side at the competition and will play against Croatia, Portugal and Poland.
Wales were drawn in Group B4 along with Iceland, Montenegro, Turkey while Northern Ireland in League C were put in a group along with Luxembourg, Bulgaria, and Belarus.
The tournament which has split opinion for some time: while plenty of managers and players do not appreciate extra matches thrust upon them of at least a semi-competitive nature, Uefa are adamant that the removal of most friendly fixtures is a positive.
Follow all the build-up and the main group stage draw live below:
Uefa Nations League draw - LIVE
Draw set for 5pm GMT
England in League B pots along with Wales and Republic of Ireland
Scotland in League A, Northern Ireland in League C
England were drawn in a group with Republic of Ireland, Finland and Greece
Wales were drawn alongside Iceland, Montenegro and Turkey
Scotland drew Croatia, Portugal and Poland
Northern Ireland drew Luxembourg, Bulgaria, and Belarus.
Uefa Nations League draw
18:35 , Sonia Twigg
Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has confirmed he will not stand for reelection in 2027, ending his tenure at the top of European football’s governing body after three terms.
Current rules state that no president may serve for longer than three terms of office, with partial terms also counting towards this time limit. Ceferin took over in 2016, replacing Michel Platini after he resigned following a football ban handed to him, meaning he could not remain in place beyond ‘27 unless statues were changed.
And an apparent attempt to change those before this week’s Uefa Congress meeting in Paris would have meant the part-term served by the Slovenian no longer counted towards his total time in power, leaving him free to be in the running to stay in office until 2031.
Ceferin takes shot at former Uefa ally after announcing departure as president
Uefa Nations League draw
18:25 , Sonia Twigg
Here is a story that emerged recently, about Uefa, written by The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delaney:
With a statement that initially seemed as clear as you can get, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin created a world of confusion. Such words might well describe a legacy that always lacked strategic coherence if the Slovenian does indeed step down in 2027.
In a rare press conference after the 48th Uefa Congress in Paris, however, Ceferin came out with the following. “I have decided, let’s say around six months ago, that I’m not planning to run in 2027 any more.”
So, Uefa could well have new leadership. That only opened up a host of new questions.
Uefa president’s unexpected exit could yet have a twist in the tale
Uefa Nations League draw
18:15 , Sonia Twigg
England have not played against Greece since an international friendly in 2006, when John Terry, Frank Lampard and Peter Crouch were on target in a 4-0 win.
Uefa Nations League draw
18:05 , Sonia Twigg
England have only played against Finland twice in their history.
Both in the 21st century, a 2-1 win over Finland in 2001, and a 0-0 draw in October 2000.
Uefa Nations League draw
17:52 , Sonia Twigg
England have not played Ireland in a competitive match since the 1990 World Cup, when they played out a 1-1 draw.
Uefa Nations League draw
17:50 , Sonia Twigg
Group A1: Croatia, Portugal, Poland, Scotland
Group A2: Italy, Belgium, France, Israel
Group A3: Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Group A4: Spain, Denmark, Switzerland Serbia
Uefa Nations League draw
17:48 , Sonia Twigg
Group A1: Croatia, Portugal, Poland
Group A2: Italy, Belgium, France
Group A3: Netherlands, Hungary, Germany
Group A4: Spain, Denmark
Uefa Nations League Draw
17:47 , Sonia Twigg
Group A1: Croatia, Portugal
Group A2: Italy, Belgium
Group A3: Netherlands, Hungary
Group A4: Spain, Denmark
Uefa Nations League Draw
17:46 , Sonia Twigg
Group A1: Croatia
Group A2: Italy
Group A3: Netherlands
Group A4: Spain
Uefa Nations League Draw
17:43 , Sonia Twigg
League A will be drawn by Juan Mata
Uefa Nations League Draw
17:41 , Sonia Twigg
Time for Group A...and a reminder that Scotland are in this group
Uefa Nations League Draw
17:41 , Sonia Twigg
So England have learned their fate, they will be playing against Greece, Republic of Ireland and Finland
Uefa Nations League Draw
17:40 , Sonia Twigg
Group B1: Czech Republic, Ukraine, Albania, Georgia
Group B2: England, Finland, Republic of Ireland, Greece
Group B3: Austria, Norway, Slovenia, Kazakhstan
Group B4: Wales, Iceland, Montenegro, Turkey
Uefa Nations League Draw
17:33 , Sonia Twigg
Time for a new guest, and it will be Aleksandar Kolarov
Uefa Nations League Draw
17:31 , Sonia Twigg
About to move on to League B which has England, Wales and Republic of Ireland
Uefa Nations League draw - League C
17:30 , Sonia Twigg
Group C1: Sweden, Azerbaijan, Slovakia, Estonia
Group C2: Romania, Kosovo, Cyprus, Lithuania/Gibraltar
Group C3: Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Northern Ireland, Belarus
Group C4: Armenia, Faroe Islands, North Macedonia, Latvia
Uefa Nations League draw
17:23 , Sonia Twigg
A new league means a new guest apparently, and this draw will be done by Giorgos Karagounis of Greece Euro 2004 fame.
Uefa Nations League draw
17:20 , Sonia Twigg
Time for League C, which includes Northern Ireland.
Uefa Nations League draw
17:20 , Sonia Twigg
The first team drawn out of the hat is Lithuania or Gibraltar and they go into Group D1.
They will be joined by San Marino and Liechtenstein
Moldova will be in Group D2, and will be joined by Malta and Andorra.
Uefa Nations League draw
17:16 , Sonia Twigg
We will start with League D...
Uefa Nations League draw
17:13 , Sonia Twigg
Now the procedure is just being explained, which was recapped earlier in our coverage ahead of the draw.
Uefa Nations League draw
17:11 , Sonia Twigg
The montage is done, with a focus on Spain of course and now time to meet those doing the draw, and it will be:
Giorgio Marchetti will be leading the draw and he will be alongside...
Uefa Nations League draw
17:06 , Sonia Twigg
First it is time for a look back at the last edition of the Nations League.
Uefa Nations League draw
17:05 , Sonia Twigg
Pedro Pinto is hosting the draw
Uefa Nations League draw
17:04 , Sonia Twigg
The song has a full band accompanying it and it looks like it might be coming to an end soon.
The band includes wind chimes.
Uefa Nations League draw
17:01 , Sonia Twigg
The montage is followed by a band including a violin on stage and a song from Fanchon.
Uefa Nations League draw
17:00 , Sonia Twigg
The draw kicks things off with a montage of the last tournament of course, when Spain were crowned winners.
Uefa Nations League draw
16:57 , Sonia Twigg
The draw itself will be taking place in Paris and comes after the news that Aleksander Ceferin announced he would not be standing for a fourth term in 2027.
Uefa Nations League draw
16:55 , Sonia Twigg
The draw is just five minutes away...
Uefa Nations League draw
16:54 , Sonia Twigg
Spain go in as the current winners, having lifted the trophy the last time around, but they may face a difficult task this time around to defend their title.
There are also routes into the World Cup that can be forged with a successful Nations League campaign, so it is not just an entirely separate multi-tiered tournament.
Uefa Nations League draw
16:49 , Sonia Twigg
The draw starts in just over 10 minutes when we will learn who England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland will have in their groups.
2024/25 Nations League dates:
16:45 , Sonia Twigg
Matchday 1: 5-7 September 2024Matchday 2: 8-10 September 2024Matchday 3: 10-12 October 2024Matchday 4: 13-15 October 2024Matchday 5: 14-16 November 2024Matchday 6: 17-19 November 2024
Knockout round play-off draw: November 2024Knockout round play-offs: 20-25 March 2025League A quarter-finals: 20-25 March 2025Final tournament: 4-8 June 2025
Uefa Nations league draw
16:38 , Sonia Twigg
The draw is less than half an hour away, and a reminder that both England and Wales were in League A last time but dropped out after finishing bottom of their respective groups.
While Scotland won their group in League B so have been promoted.
England and Wales cannot be in the same group, but one of them could face the Republic of Ireland, while Northern Ireland are in League C.
Uefa Nations League draw
16:30 , Sonia Twigg
How does the tournament work?
The top two teams from each group in League A go into a two-legged quarter-final in March 2025, with the winners going into a final-four tournament in June. The winner will win the Uefa Nations League trophy.
The winners of each group in Leagues B, C and D are promoted to the higher division, and the teams who finish bottom in each group in the top two leagues are relegated.
For those finishing third in Group A, there is a play off between themselves and the League B runners up.
The third-placed teams in League B will face League C runners up in a two-legged promotion/relegation play off.
The two best fourth-placed teams in League C and the two runners up in League D also have a play off.
The four best Nations League group winners who do not qualify for the World Cup either via the play offs or the qualifying groups will also go into the play offs.
Uefa Nations League draw
16:22 , Sonia Twigg
How does it work?
The top three leagues, A, B and C all have four groups of four teams, with one drawn from each pot into each group and the teams will play each other home and away.
League D has two groups of three teams.
There are some restrictions on who can play who, but many prohibited fixtures are impossible because of the leagues and pots.
Kazakhstan can only be drawn in a group with a maximum of one of England, Wales, Republic of Ireland or Iceland for excessive travel reasons, while Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be drawn together in League C for political reasons.
Uefa Nations League draw
16:15 , Sonia Twigg
League D:
Pot 1: Lithuania/Gibraltar, Moldova
Pot 2: Malta, Andorra, San Marino, Liechtenstein
Gibraltar and Lithuania face a play-out, effectively a relegation play-off to see who ends in Leagues C and D, in March 2024.
Uefa Nations League draw
16:05 , Sonia Twigg
League C
Pot 1: Romania, Sweden, Armenia, Luxembourg
Pot 2: Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Faroe Islands
Pot 3: North Macedonia, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Cyprus
Pot 4: Belarus, Lithuania/Gibraltar, Estonia, Latvia
Uefa Nations League draw
15:55 , Sonia Twigg
League B:
Pot 1: Austria, Czech Republic, England, Wales
Pot 2: Finland, Ukraine, Iceland, Norway
Pot 3: Slovenia, Republic of Ireland, Albania, Montenegro
Pot 4: Georgia, Greece, Turkey, Kazakhstan
Uefa Nations League draw
15:45 , Sonia Twigg
Here is a full reminder of all the leagues and pots, starting with League A
Pot 1: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Netherlands
Pot 2: Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, Hungary
Pot 3: Switzerland, Germany, Poland, France
Pot 4: Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Scotland
Uefa Nations League draw
15:35 , Sonia Twigg
Just a reminder that England were relegated during the previous qualification cycle and will be in League B for the first time.
Uefa Nations League draw
15:33 , Sonia Twigg
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Uefa Nations League draw for 2024/25.
