Republic of Ireland braced for testing Nations League

The UEFA Nations League, established in 2018, is a competition where nations compete across four different divisions: A, B, C, and D. Each team engages in a promotional and relegation system, with the top-performing nations advancing to the play-offs at the end of each campaign. However, winning the Nations League does not guarantee direct qualification for major tournaments like the World Cup or European Championship.

The league is divided into smaller groups. Divisions A, B, and C are composed of four groups of four teams each, while Division D consists of only six teams. UEFA also operates a similar competition for women's international football.

During the 2026-27 campaign, which begins on September 1, 2026, teams within each group will face each other twice, once at home and once away. In Division A, the top two teams from every group will qualify for the quarter-finals. A knockout tournament among these eight teams will determine the overall Nations League winner. In Divisions B, C, and D, the group winners will be promoted one division higher, while the bottom teams will be relegated to a lower division.

The second-placed teams in Divisions B, C, and D will participate in play-offs against the third-placed teams from Divisions A, B, and C.

The quarter-finals, relegation play-offs, semi-finals, final, and final play-offs for the Nations League will be held in the international break of June 2027. The best-performing teams in the Nations League that don't qualify for the 2028 European Championships through the qualification campaign will enter into play-offs to secure their final spots in the tournament.

The Nations League is not limited to Europe, as there are also competitions in the Asian, North and Central American continents, and South America, although South America does not have its own men's Nations League. Women's football also has a Nations League competition. However, Africa and Oceania do not have a Nations League competition.