UEFA Nations League

England in top tier of new UEFA Nations League

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 11 October 2017

England are placed in Group A of the new UEFA Nations League, while Wales are joined by Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in Group B.

England have been confirmed among the top 12 teams for the new UEFA Nations League, which is scheduled to begin in September next year.

The competition offers a backdoor entry to Euro 2020 and is based on each team's position in the UEFA coefficient rankings as of October 11.

Joining England in the top division are France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia and the Netherlands.

Defeat for Wales in their final World Cup 2018 qualifier means that they miss out at the expense of the Netherlands, leaving them to battle it out with Austria, Slovakia, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine, Denmark, Czech Republic and Turkey.

Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland, both still in with a chance of qualifying for Russia 2018 via the playoffs, are also in League B with Wales.

Elsewhere, Scotland have been placed in League C, seeing them take on the likes of Norway, Greece and Serbia, while 16 teams make up Group D.

The competition will provide four qualifying spots for Euro 2020 and will determine the composition of the draw pots for the qualifiers, due to get under way the following March.