{
  "id": 8888047,
  "title": "How does the Nations League work and who is in each league?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/how-does-the-nations-league-work-and-who-is-in-each-league",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-21T09:16:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/does-nations-league-league-091657844.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nDuring 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nThe 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.",
  "summary": "BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team explains how the Uefa Nations League works ahead of the start of the 2026-27 competition",
  "key_points": [
    "UEFA Nations League established in 2018 with four divisions: A, B, C, D",
    "Teams compete in promotional/relegation system, not guaranteeing major tournament qualification",
    "2026-27 campaign starts September 1, 2026 with double matches per group"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport",
        "title": "Republic of Ireland braced for testing Nations League",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/republic-of-ireland-braced-for-testing-nations-league",
        "published": "2026-09-21T06:36:17.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "DutchNews",
        "title": "Meerdink and Til added to Oranje Nations League squad",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/meerdink-and-til-added-to-oranje-nations-league-squad",
        "published": "2026-09-21T07:18:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "UEFA Nations League: Klopp, Zidane, Xavi, Mancini, four other new coaches to watch",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/uefa-nations-league-klopp-zidane-xavi-mancini-four-other-new-coaches",
        "published": "2026-09-21T11:02:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "New-look Netherlands will play with intensity in Nations League, says Xavi",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/new-look-netherlands-will-play-with-intensity-in-nations-league-says",
        "published": "2026-09-21T12:07:47.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}