Uefa Nations League draw LIVE as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland opponents decided
England have been drawn against Italy, Germany and Hungary in a loaded League A group while Wales will find it equally tough against Belgium, Netherland and Poland
Follow live reaction from the draw for the third edition of the Nations League.
England have been drawn against Italy, Germany and Hungary in League A. Another meeting with the Italians will see a rematch of the final of Euro 2020 of course while the Germans are a side Gareth Southgate’s team beat en route to that Wembley showpiece last summer. The Three Lions were paired with Hungary in 2022 World Cup qualifying with the match in Budapest marred by racist abuse of England players from the stands,
Wales face a tough group, also in League A, having been pulled out of the hat with world number one Belgium, Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands and Robert Lewandowski’s Poland. Steve Clarke’s Scotland have been drawn alongside Republic of Ireland as well as Ukraine and Armenia in League B while over in League C, Northern Ireland will take on Greece, Kosovo and one of Cyprus or Estonia in their group.
Nations League draw
Robert Pires and Gaizka Mendieta are on hand to help out with the draw, as representatives of last season’s final between France and Spain.
Nations League draw
While we await the draw, here’s a reminder of the all important pots for League A.
Pot 1: France (2021 Finals), Spain (2021 Finals), Italy (2021 Finals), Belgium (2021 Finals)
Pot 2: Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany
Pot 3: England, Poland, Switzerland, Croatia,
Pot 4: Wales (promoted), Austria (promoted), Czech Republic (promoted), Hungary (promoted)
Nations League draw
Khalida Popal, Juan Mata and the German Football Association are the three winners of Uefa’s Equal Game Awards.
Popal played a crucial role in the evacuation of Afghanistan’s women’s national team following the Taliban takeover while Mata is being recognised for his Common Goal charity.
Nations League draw
The good people from Uefa are live on stage and the draw for the Nations League will begin shortly*.
Of course, it would not be a Uefa draw without a considerable amount of preamble.
Nations League draw
Nations League 2022/23 dates:
Matchdays 1 & 2: 2–8 June 2022
Matchdays 3 & 4: 8–14 June 2022
Matchdays 5 & 6: 22–27 September 2022
World Cup: 21 November – 18 December 2022
Nations League semi-finals: 14 & 15 June 2023
Final & third-place match: 18 June 2023
Nations League draw
England manager Gareth Southgate extended his Three Lions contract shortly after they booked their place in the 2022 World Cup finals.
The Nations League, with the group stage scheduled to be held in June and September 2022, will offer England valuable experience before the tournament.
“The last five years have been a fantastic challenge, we have created some great memories for England fans,” Southgate said after signing his contract.
“We are hugely excited about what we are doing and what we have done. It was important to get qualified so that was all out of the way and there was never a suggestion our focus was somewhere else.
“In the end that is the dream. We feel we can continue to grow. England should be competitive for years to come.”
Nations League draw: What is it, how does it work, when will the 2022/23 competition start?
All very important questions. Although the competition itself is quite confusing - especially once we get into play-off paths, etc, - the draw should be straight-forward enough.
That said, the last time Uefa conducted a major draw, chaos ensued.
Uefa Nations League: How does it work and when will the 2022/23 competition start?
The complicated competition returns for its third edition in 2022/23
Nations League draw: Best/worst scenarios
Wales
Best: Spain, Denmark, Switzerland
Worst: France, Germany, England
Scotland
Best: Iceland, Ireland, Armenia
Worst: Sweden, Serbia, Slovenia
Northern Ireland
Best: North Macedonia, Kosovo, Faroe Islands
Worst: Greece, Lithuania, (play-out winner)
Nations League draw: Best/worst scenarios
England
Best: Spain, Denmark, Austria
Worst: France, Germany, Czech Republic
Nations League draw: How did England end up in pot 3?
After reaching the Finals of the inaugural Nations League in 2018/19, England entered the 2020/21 edition of the competition as one of the top seeds in Legaue A.
They were drawn with Belgium, Denmark and Iceland in Group A, but a home defeat to the Danes and an away loss to Roberto Martinez’s side was a blow to their hopes.
Gareth Southgate’s side finished the group third, losing out to Denmark on the head-to-head, which is why they have found themselves seeded in pot 3 this time around.
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