2018–19_UEFA_Nations_League
2018–19 UEFA Nations League
2018–2019 edition of the UEFA Nations League
The 2018–19 UEFA Nations League was the inaugural season of the UEFA Nations League, an international association football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA.[1] The league phase of the competition was played between September and November 2018, with the finals tournament for the group winners from League A taking place in Portugal in June 2019. Team performances in the league phase were used to seed teams for the qualifying group stage of UEFA Euro 2020, and awarded berths in the play-offs, which decided four of the twenty-four final tournament slots.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | League phase: 6 September – 20 November 2018 Nations League Finals: 5–9 June 2019 |
| Teams | 55 |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Portugal (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Netherlands |
| Third place |  England |
| Fourth place |  Switzerland |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 142 |
| Goals scored | 342 (2.41 per match) |
| Attendance | 2,467,041 (17,374 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Aleksandar Mitrović (6 goals) |
2020–21 → | |
The format and schedule of the UEFA Nations League was formally approved by the UEFA Executive Committee on 4 December 2014.[2][3] According to the approved format,[1][4][5] the 55 UEFA national teams were divided into four divisions (called "leagues"):[4] 12 teams in League A, 12 teams in League B, 15 teams in League C, and 16 teams in League D.[4] For the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League, teams were divided according to their UEFA national team coefficients after the conclusion of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers (play-off results were not included), with the highest-ranked teams playing in League A, etc.[6]
Each league was divided into four groups of three or four teams, so each team played four or six matches within their group (using the home-and-away round-robin format), on double matchdays in September, October and November 2018.
In the top division, League A, teams competed to become the UEFA Nations League champions. The four group winners of League A qualified for the Nations League Finals in June 2019, which was played in a knockout format, consisting of the semi-finals, third place play-off, and final. The semi-final pairings, along with the administrative home teams for the third place play-off and final, were determined by means of an open draw on 3 December 2018.[7] Host country Portugal was selected among the four qualified teams on 3 December 2018 by the UEFA Executive Committee,[8][9] with the winners of the final crowned as the Nations League champions.
Teams also competed for promotion and relegation to a higher or lower league. In each league, the four group winners (except League A) were promoted, while the last-placed teams of each group (except League D) were initially to be relegated; the exception was in League C, where due to different-sized groups, the three fourth-placed teams and the lowest-ranking third-placed team were initially to be relegated. However, due to a revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated, and some second-placed and third-placed teams were also promoted.
Tiebreakers for group ranking
If two or more teams in the same group were equal on points on completion of the league phase, the following tie-breaking criteria were applied:[6]
- Higher number of points obtained in the matches played among the teams in question;
- Superior goal difference in matches played among the teams in question;
- Higher number of goals scored in the matches played among the teams in question;
- Higher number of goals scored away from home in the matches played among the teams in question;
- If, after having applied criteria 1 to 4, teams still had an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 4 were reapplied exclusively to the matches between the teams in question to determine their final rankings.[note 1] If this procedure did not lead to a decision, criteria 6 to 10 applied;
- Superior goal difference in all group matches;
- Higher number of goals scored in all group matches;
- Higher number of away goals scored in all group matches;
- Higher number of wins in all group matches;
- Higher number of away wins in all group matches;
- Disciplinary points in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
- Position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system.[note 2]
To determine the worst third-placed team in League C, the results against the teams in fourth place were discarded. The following criteria were applied:
- Higher number of points;
- Superior goal difference;
- Higher number of goals scored;
- Higher number of goals scored away from home;
- Higher number of wins;
- Higher number of wins away from home;
- Disciplinary points in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
- Position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system.[note 2]
Criteria for league ranking
Individual league rankings were established according to the following criteria:[6]
- Position in the group;
- Higher number of points;
- Superior goal difference;
- Higher number of goals scored;
- Higher number of goals scored away from home;
- Higher number of wins;
- Higher number of wins away from home;
- Disciplinary points in all group matches (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
- Position in the UEFA national team coefficient ranking system.[note 2]
In order to rank teams in leagues composed of different-sized groups, the following procedure is applied:[6]
- The results against fourth-placed teams were not taken into account for the purposes of comparing teams placed first, second, and third in their respective groups.
- All results were taken into account for the purposes of comparing teams placed fourth in their respective groups.
The ranking of the top four teams in League A was determined by their finish in the Nations League Finals (first to fourth).[6]
Criteria for overall ranking
For the purposes of the European Championship qualifying group stage draw and the European qualifying play-offs, overall UEFA Nations League rankings were established as follows:[6]
- The 12 League A teams were ranked 1st to 12th according to their league rankings.
- The 12 League B teams were ranked 13th to 24th according to their league rankings.
- The 15 League C teams were ranked 25th to 39th according to their league rankings.
- The 16 League D teams were ranked 40th to 55th according to their league rankings.
UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
The 2018–19 UEFA Nations League was linked with UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, providing teams another chance to qualify for UEFA Euro 2020.
The main qualifying process began in March 2019 instead of immediately in September 2018 following the 2018 FIFA World Cup and ended in November 2019. The format remained largely the same, although only 20 of the 24 spots for the finals tournament were decided from the main qualifying process, leaving four spots still to be decided. The 55 teams were drawn into 10 groups after the completion of the UEFA Nations League (five groups of five teams and five groups of six teams, with the four UEFA Nations League Finals participants guaranteed to be drawn into groups of five teams), with the top two teams in each group qualifying.[2][3] The draw seeding was based on the overall rankings of the Nations League.[6] The qualifiers were played on double matchdays in March, June, September, October, and November 2019.[4]
Following the qualifying group stage, the qualifying play-offs took place in October and November 2020. Unlike previous editions, the participants of the play-offs were not decided based on results from the qualifying group stage. Instead, 16 teams were selected based on their performance in the Nations League. These teams were divided into four paths, each containing four teams, with one team from each path qualifying for the final tournament. Each league had its own play-off path if at least four teams were available. The Nations League group winners automatically qualified for the play-off path of their league. If a group winner had already qualified through the conventional qualifying group stage, they were replaced by the next best-ranked team in the same league. However, if there were not enough teams in the same league, then the spot would go to the next-best team in the overall ranking. However, group winners could not face teams from a higher league.[10]
Each play-off path featured two single-leg semi-finals and one single-leg final. The best-ranked team hosted the fourth-ranked team, and the second-ranked team hosted the third-ranked team. The host of the final was decided by a draw, with semi-final winner 1 or 2 hosting the final. The four play-off path winners joined the 20 teams which had already qualified for UEFA Euro 2020.[2][3]
Below was the schedule of the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League.[6]
| Stage | Round | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| League phase | Matchday 1 | 6–8 September 2018 |
| Matchday 2 | 9–11 September 2018 | |
| Matchday 3 | 11–13 October 2018 | |
| Matchday 4 | 14–16 October 2018 | |
| Matchday 5 | 15–17 November 2018 | |
| Matchday 6 | 18–20 November 2018 | |
| Finals | Semi-finals | 5–6 June 2019 |
| Third place play-off | 9 June 2019 | |
| Final |
The fixture list was confirmed by UEFA on 24 January 2018 following the draw.[11][12]
All 55 UEFA national teams were eligible to compete in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League. The 55 members at the time were divided into the four "Leagues" (12 teams in League A, 12 teams in League B, 15 teams in League C, and 16 teams in League D) according to their UEFA national team coefficients after the conclusion of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers (not including the play-offs), with the highest-ranked teams playing in League A, etc.[4][13][14] The seeding pots for the draw were announced on 7 December 2017.[15]
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The draw for the league phase took place at the SwissTech Convention Center in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 January 2018, 12:00 CET.[16][17][18][19]
For political reasons, Armenia and Azerbaijan (due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict), as well as Russia and Ukraine (due to the Russian military intervention in Ukraine), could not be drawn in the same group. Due to winter venue restrictions, a group could contain a maximum of two of the following teams: Norway, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania. Due to excessive travel restrictions, only one of Andorra, Faroe Islands, or Gibraltar could be drawn with Kazakhstan, while Gibraltar could not be with Azerbaijan if they had Kazakhstan.[20]
Group A1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification[lower-alpha 1] | |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 7[lower-alpha 2] | Qualification for Nations League Finals | — | 2–0 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | France |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 7[lower-alpha 2] | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | Germany |
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | −4 | 2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | — |
Notes:
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated.
Group A2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification[lower-alpha 1] | |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 9[lower-alpha 2] | Qualification for Nations League Finals | — | 5–2 | 6–0 | |
| 2 | Belgium |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 9[lower-alpha 2] | 2–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Iceland |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | — |
Notes:
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated.
Group A3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification[lower-alpha 1] | |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal |
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 8 | Qualification for Nations League Finals | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | |
| 2 | Italy |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | Poland |
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | — |
Notes:
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated.
Group A4
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification[lower-alpha 1] | |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 7 | Qualification for Nations League Finals | — | 1–2 | 2–1 | |
| 2 | Spain |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 6 | 2–3 | — | 6–0 | ||
| 3 | Croatia |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | −6 | 4 | 0–0 | 3–2 | — |
Notes:
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated.
Nations League Finals
The host of the Nations League Finals, Portugal, was selected from the four qualified teams. The semi-finals pairings were determined by means of an open draw, along with the administrative home teams for the third place play-off and final. The draw took place on 3 December 2018, 14:30 CET (13:30 local time), at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, Republic of Ireland.[7][21] For scheduling purposes, the semi-final pairing involving the host team was considered to be semi-final 1.
Times are CEST (UTC+2), as listed by UEFA (local times are in parentheses).
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 5 June 2019 – Porto | ||||||
| Portugal | 3 | |||||
| 9 June 2019 – Porto | ||||||
| Switzerland | 1 | |||||
| Portugal | 1 | |||||
| 6 June 2019 – Guimarães | ||||||
| Netherlands | 0 | |||||
| Netherlands (a.e.t.) | 3 | |||||
| England | 1 | |||||
| Third place play-off | ||||||
| 9 June 2019 – Guimarães | ||||||
| Switzerland | 0 (5) | |||||
| England (p) | 0 (6) | |||||
Semi-finals
Third-place play-off
Final
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haris Seferovic |
5 |
| 2 | Romelu Lukaku |
4 |
| 3 | Marcus Rashford |
3 |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | ||
| André Silva | ||
| Sergio Ramos | ||
| 7 | 13 players | 2 |
| 20 | 31 players | 1 |
Group B1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |  |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukraine (P) |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 9 | Promotion to League A | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Czech Republic |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Slovakia |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 4–1 | 1–2 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated.
Group B2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |  |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sweden (P) |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 7[lower-alpha 2] | Promotion to League A | — | 2–0 | 2–3 | |
| 2 | Russia |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 7[lower-alpha 2] | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Turkey |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated.
Group B3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |  |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bosnia and Herzegovina (P) |
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 10 | Promotion to League A | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Austria |
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 7 | 0–0 | — | 1–0 | ||
| 3 | Northern Ireland |
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated.
Group B4
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |  |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark (P) |
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 8 | Promotion to League A | — | 2–0 | 0–0 | |
| 2 | Wales |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 6 | 1–2 | — | 4–1 | ||
| 3 | Republic of Ireland |
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated.
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edin Džeko |
3 |
| Patrik Schick | ||
| 3 | Christian Eriksen |
2 |
| Denis Cheryshev | ||
| Emre Akbaba | ||
| Yevhen Konoplyanka | ||
| Gareth Bale | ||
| 8 | 32 players | 1 |
Group C1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |  |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scotland (P) |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 9 | Promotion to League B | — | 3–2 | 2–0 | |
| 2 | Israel (P) |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 6 | 2–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Albania |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 3 | 0–4 | 1–0 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated, and the second-placed teams in each group were also promoted.
Group C2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |  |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finland (P) |
6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 12 | Promotion to League B | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Hungary (P) |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 6 | +3 | 10 | 2–0 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | ||
| 3 | Greece |
6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 9 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | ||
| 4 | Estonia |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 8 | −4 | 4 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 0–1 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated, and the second-placed teams in each group were also promoted.
Group C3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |  |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Norway (P) |
6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 13 | Promotion to League B | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | |
| 2 | Bulgaria (P) |
6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 11 | 1–0 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | Cyprus |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Slovenia |
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated, and the second-placed teams in each group were also promoted.
Group C4
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] | |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serbia (P) |
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 14 | Promotion to League B | — | 2–2 | 2–1 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Romania (P) |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 12 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Montenegro |
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 7 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | Lithuania |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–4 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, no teams were eventually relegated, and the second-placed teams in each group were also promoted.
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksandar Mitrović |
6 |
| 2 | James Forrest |
5 |
| 3 | Ádám Szalai |
4 |
| 4 | Teemu Pukki |
3 |
| Stefan Mugoša | ||
| 6 | Bozhidar Kraev |
2 |
| Stefan Johansen | ||
| Ola Kamara | ||
| Nicolae Stanciu | ||
| George Țucudean | ||
| Adem Ljajić | ||
| Miha Zajc | ||
| 13 | 50 players | 1 |
Group D1
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |  |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia (P) |
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 2 | +10 | 16 | Promotion to League C | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | |
| 2 | Kazakhstan (P) |
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 6 | 0–2 | — | 1–1 | 4–0 | ||
| 3 | Latvia |
6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 4[lower-alpha 2] | 0–3 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | ||
| 4 | Andorra |
6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 9 | −7 | 4[lower-alpha 2] | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, the second-placed teams in each group and the best third-placed team among all groups were also promoted.
Group D2
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |  |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belarus (P) |
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | +10 | 14 | Promotion to League C | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | 5–0 | |
| 2 | Luxembourg (P) |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 10 | 0–2 | — | 4–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 3 | Moldova (P) |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 9 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | ||
| 4 | San Marino |
6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 | −16 | 0 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, the second-placed teams in each group and the best third-placed team among all groups were also promoted.
Group D3
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |  |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kosovo (P) |
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 2 | +13 | 14 | Promotion to League C | — | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | |
| 2 | Azerbaijan (P) |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 9 | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | ||
| 3 | Faroe Islands |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 5 | 1–1 | 0–3 | — | 3–1 | ||
| 4 | Malta |
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 14 | −9 | 3 | 0–5 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, the second-placed teams in each group and the best third-placed team among all groups were also promoted.
Group D4
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion[lower-alpha 1] |  |
 |
 |
 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macedonia (P) |
6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 5 | +9 | 15 | Promotion to League C | — | 2–0 | 4–0 | 4–1 | |
| 2 | Armenia (P) |
6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 10 | 4–0 | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | ||
| 3 | Gibraltar |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 15 | −10 | 6 | 0–2 | 2–6 | — | 2–1 | ||
| 4 | Liechtenstein |
6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 4 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | — |
- Due to revamp of the format for the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, the second-placed teams in each group and the best third-placed team among all groups were also promoted.
Ranking of third-placed teams
| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | D2 | Moldova (P) |
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 9 | Promotion to League C |
| 2 | D4 | Gibraltar |
6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 15 | −10 | 6 | |
| 3 | D3 | Faroe Islands |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 5 | |
| 4 | D1 | Latvia |
6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 4 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Away goals scored; 5) Wins; 6) Away wins; 7) Disciplinary points; 8) UEFA national team coefficient.
(P) Promoted
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yura Movsisyan |
5 |
| Stanislaw Drahun | ||
| 3 | Giorgi Chakvetadze |
4 |
| Arbër Zeneli | ||
| 5 | Anton Saroka |
3 |
| René Joensen | ||
| Benjamin Kololli | ||
| Danel Sinani | ||
| Ezgjan Alioski | ||
| Ilija Nestorovski | ||
| Aleksandar Trajkovski | ||
| Radu Gînsari | ||
| 13 | 14 players | 2 |
| 27 | 49 players | 1 |
The overall ranking after the league phase was used for seeding in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying group stage draw.[26]
| League A | League B | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: UEFA |
Source: UEFA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League C | League D | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: UEFA |
Source: UEFA |
The prize money to be distributed was announced in March 2018, with a total of €76.25 million in solidarity and bonus fees due to be distributed to the 55 participating national teams.[27] However, in October 2018, the solidarity fees and bonus payments for group winners were increased by 50%, while the bonuses for the teams appearing in the Nations League Finals also increased, resulting in a total of €112.875 million in prize money.[28]
The solidarity fees per team were scaled by league:
- League A: €2.25 million
- League B: €1.5 million
- League C: €1.125 million
- League D: €750,000
In addition, the group winners of each league received the following bonus fees:
- League A group winners: €2.25 million
- League B group winners: €1.5 million
- League C group winners: €1.125 million
- League D group winners: €750,000
The four group winners of League A, which participated in the Nations League Finals, also received the following bonus fees based on performance:
- Winners: €6 million
- Runners-up: €4.5 million
- Third place: €3.5 million
- Fourth place: €2.5 million
This meant that the maximum amount of solidarity and bonus fees was €10.5 million for a team from League A, €3 million for a team from League B, €2.25 million for a team from League C, and €1.5 million for a team from League D.
Teams who failed in the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying group stage could still qualify for the final tournament via the play-offs. Each league in the UEFA Nations League was allocated one of the four remaining UEFA Euro 2020 places. Four teams from each league who had not already qualified for the European Championship finals competed in the play-offs of their league, which were played in October and November 2020. The play-off berths were first allocated to each group winner, and if any of the group winners had already qualified for the European Championship finals, then to the next best ranked team of the league, etc.
The team selection process determined the 16 teams that competed in the play-offs based on a set of criteria.[29] Teams in bold advanced to the play-offs.
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Key
- GW Nations League group winner
- H UEFA Euro 2020 host at the time of the draw
- Team advanced to play-offs
- Team qualified directly to final tournament
- When there were two or more teams tied in points, criteria 1 to 4 were applied. After these criteria were applied, they may have defined the position of some of the teams involved, but not all of them. For example, if there was a three-way tie on points, the application of the first four criteria could only break the tie for one of the teams, leaving the other two teams still tied. In this case, the tiebreaking procedure was resumed, from the beginning, for those teams that were still tied.
- If two or more associations had the same reference period coefficient, the following criteria were applied to the most recent half cycle:[6]
- Coefficient;
- Average goal difference;
- Average number of goals scored;
- Average number of away goals scored;
- Average disciplinary points (1 point for a single yellow card, 3 points for a red card as a consequence of two yellow cards, 3 points for a direct red card, 4 points for a yellow card followed by a direct red card);
- Drawing of lots.
- "UEFA Nations League receives associations' green light". UEFA. 27 March 2014.
- "UEFA Nations League format and schedule approved". UEFA.com. 4 December 2014.
- "UEFA Nations League format confirmed". UEFA. 4 December 2014.
- "UEFA Nations League: all you need to know". UEFA.com. 21 September 2016. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
- "UEFA Nations League/UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying" (PDF). UEFA.com.
- "Regulations of the UEFA Nations League 2018/19" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- "UEFA Nations League Finals: Draw Procedure" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
- "Lyon to host 2018 UEFA Europa League final". UEFA. 9 December 2016.
- "Portugal confirmed as Nations League Finals hosts". UEFA.com. 17 November 2018.
- "Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2018–20". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 March 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- "UEFA Nations League calendar: all the fixtures". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- "UEFA Nations League 2018/19: Fixtures List – League Phase" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- "Confirmed: How the UEFA Nations League will line up". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- "National Team Coefficients Overview" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- "UEFA Nations League draw seedings confirmed". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 December 2017. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "UEFA Nations League format confirmed". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
- "All you need to know: UEFA Nations League draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- "League Phase Draw Press Kit" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- "UEFA Nations League 2018/19 League Phase draw". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- "UEFA Nations League 2018/19 – League Phase Draw Procedure" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
- "UEFA Nations League Finals draw". UEFA.com. 3 December 2018.
- "Full Time Report – Semi-finals – Portugal v Switzerland" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 5 June 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
- "Full Time Report – Semi-finals – Netherlands v England" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
- "Full Time Report – Third-place match – Switzerland v England" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- "Full Time Report – Final – Portugal v Netherlands" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
- "2018/19 UEFA Nations League rankings" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- "UEFA Nations League solidarity and bonus fees". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- "Increased UEFA Nations League solidarity and bonus fees". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- "UNL Media Briefing" (PDF). Union of European Football Associations. 20 September 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
