2021_UEFA_Nations_League_Finals
2021 UEFA Nations League Finals
Football tournament
The 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals was the final tournament of the 2020–21 edition of the UEFA Nations League, the second season of the international football competition involving the men's national teams of the 55 member associations of UEFA. The tournament was held in Italy from 6 to 10 October 2021,[1] and was contested by the four group winners of Nations League A. The tournament consisted of two semi-finals, a third place play-off and final to determine the champions of the UEFA Nations League.
| Fase finale della UEFA Nations League 2021 (in Italian) | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Italy |
| Dates | 6–10 October |
| Teams | 4 |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  France (1st title) |
| Runners-up |  Spain |
| Third place |  Italy |
| Fourth place |  Belgium |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 4 |
| Goals scored | 14 (3.5 per match) |
| Attendance | 94,168 (23,542 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Karim Benzema Kylian Mbappé Ferran Torres (2 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Sergio Busquets |
← 2019 2023 → | |
Portugal were the defending champions, having won the inaugural 2019 finals. However, they failed to qualify for the 2021 finals after finishing second in their group behind France.[2]
France won the final 2–1 against Spain for their first UEFA Nations League title.
The Nations League Finals took place in October 2021 and were contested by the four group winners of League A. The four teams were each drawn into a five-team group (rather than a six-team group) for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification group stage, thereby leaving the October 2021 window available for the Nations League Finals.[3]
The Nations League Finals were played in single-leg knockout matches, consisting of two semi-finals, a third place play-off and a final. The semi-final pairings were determined by means of an open draw.[4] All matches in the tournament utilised the goal-line technology and video assistant referee (VAR) systems.
In the Nations League Finals, if the scores were level at the end of normal time:[5]
- In the semi-finals and final, 30 minutes of extra time would be played.[6] If the score was still level after extra time, the winner would be determined by a penalty shoot-out.
- In the third place play-off, extra time would not be played, and the winner would be determined by a penalty shoot-out (this was a change from the 2019 finals, which utilized extra time in the third place play-off).
On 31 March 2021, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the use of a maximum of five substitutions in matches at the Nations League Finals (with a sixth allowed in extra time).[7] However, each team was only given three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity allowed in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.[8] The use of five substitutes had been permitted by IFAB during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the resulting fixture congestion, which created a greater burden on players.[9]
The four group winners of League A qualified for the Nations League Finals.[10]
| Group | Winners | Date of qualification |
Previous finals appearances | Previous best UNL Ranking |
UNL Rankings November 2020 |
FIFA Rankings September 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Italy (host) |
18 November 2020 | 0 (debut) | 8 (2018–19) | 3 | 5 |
| A2 | Belgium |
18 November 2020 | 0 (debut) | 5 (2018–19) | 2 | 1 |
| A3 | France |
14 November 2020 | 0 (debut) | 6 (2018–19) | 1 | 4 |
| A4 | Spain |
17 November 2020 | 0 (debut) | 7 (2018–19) | 4 | 8 |
The Nations League Finals, originally scheduled for 2–6 June 2021, were moved to 6–10 October 2021 following the rescheduling of UEFA Euro 2020 to June and July 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11][3] The tournament took place over five days, with the semi-finals on 6 and 7 October (the first of which featured the host team), and the third place play-off and final three days after the second semi-final on 10 October 2021.[1]
Italy was confirmed as the host country by the UEFA Executive Committee during their meeting on 3 December 2020.[12][13] Only League A teams could bid for the Nations League Finals, and only one of the four participants is selected as hosts. The Nations League Finals were held in two stadiums, each with a seating capacity of at least 30,000. Ideally, the stadiums would be located in the same host city or up to approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) apart.
On 24 September 2020, UEFA announced that Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland had declared interest in hosting the tournament, all three of which are members of Group A1.[1] Italy were confirmed as winners of Group A1 over the Netherlands and Poland on 18 November 2020, thereby confirming hosting rights, which were confirmed by the UEFA Executive Committee on 3 December 2020, the same day as the Nations League Finals draw.[4][14] If the fourth member of the group, Bosnia and Herzegovina, had qualified for the Nations League Finals, the UEFA Executive Committee would have decided the venues.[15]
Bidding venues
Italy[15]
Netherlands[16]
Poland[17]
- Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw
- Stadion Wojska Polskiego, Warsaw (potential second venue)
- Stadion Śląski, Chorzów (potential second venue)
- Stadion Miejski im. Henryka Reymana, Kraków (potential second venue)
In their bid dossier, the Italian Football Federation proposed the San Siro in Milan and Juventus Stadium in Turin as the venues.[15][18]
The semi-final pairings were determined by means of an open draw on 3 December 2020, 17:30 CET, at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.[19][20][21][22] The first two teams drawn were allocated to match pairing A, while the remaining two teams drawn were allocated to match pairing B.[23] For scheduling purposes, the host team was allocated to the first semi-final as the administrative home team. The administrative home team for both the third place play-off and final were predetermined as the teams which advanced from semi-final 1.[5]
Each national team had to submit a squad of 23 players, three of whom had to be goalkeepers, at least ten days before the opening match of the tournament. If a player became injured or ill severely enough to prevent his participation in the tournament before his team's first match, he was replaced by another player.[5]
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| 6 October – Milan | ||||||
| Italy | 1 | |||||
| 10 October – Milan | ||||||
| Spain | 2 | |||||
| Spain | 1 | |||||
| 7 October – Turin | ||||||
| France | 2 | |||||
| Belgium | 2 | |||||
| France | 3 | |||||
| Third place play-off | ||||||
| 10 October – Turin | ||||||
| Italy | 2 | |||||
| Belgium | 1 | |||||
Italy vs Spain
      Italy[25]
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   Spain[25]
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[25]
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Belgium vs France
   Belgium[28]
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   France[28]
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[28]
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Italy[31]
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   Belgium[31]
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[31]
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Spain[34]
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France[34]
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[36]
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Goalscorers
There were 14 goals scored in 4 matches, for an average of 3.5 goals per match.
2 goals
1 goal
Awards
Player of the Tournament
The Hisense Player of the Finals award was given to Sergio Busquets, who was chosen by UEFA's technical observers.[37]
Top Scorer
The "Alipay Top Scorer Trophy", given to the top scorer in the Nations League Finals,[38] was awarded to Kylian Mbappé, who finished with two goals and two assists in the Nations League Finals.[39] The ranking was determined using the following criteria: 1) goals in Nations League Finals, 2) assists in Nations League Finals, 3) fewest minutes played in Nations League Finals, 4) goals in league phase.[40]
| Rank | Player | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Kylian Mbappé |
2 | 2 | 180 |
 |
Karim Benzema |
2 | 0 | 179 |
 |
Ferran Torres |
2 | 0 | 133 |
Goal of the Tournament
The Gazprom Goal of the Tournament was decided by online voting. A total four goals were in the shortlist, chosen by UEFA's technical observers: Karim Benzema (against Spain), Ferran Torres (second goal against Italy), Théo Hernandez (against Belgium) and Romelu Lukaku (against France). Benzema won the award for his goal in the final.[41][42]
| Rank | Goalscorer | Opponent | Score | Result | Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Karim Benzema |
Spain |
1–1 | 2–1 | Final |
|
Romelu Lukaku |
France |
2–0 | 2–3 | Semi-finals |
|
Ferran Torres |
Italy |
2–0 | 2–1 | Semi-finals |
| 4 | Théo Hernandez |
Belgium |
3–2 | 3–2 | Semi-finals |
Discipline
A player was automatically suspended for the next match for receiving a red card, which could be extended for serious offences. Yellow card suspensions did not apply in the Nations League Finals.[5]
The following suspensions were served during the tournament:[43]
| Player | Offence(s) | Suspension(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Leonardo Bonucci |
  in semi-finals vs Spain (6 October 2021) |
Third place play-off vs Belgium (10 October 2021) |
- "Two triple-headers approved for 2021 March and September national team windows". UEFA. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
- "Portugal 0–1 France: N'Golo Kante winner sends Blues into finals". BBC Sport. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- "European Qualifiers: FIFA World Cup – Qualifying draw procedure" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
- UEFA.com (11 July 2021). "UEFA Nations League finals: all you need to know". UEFA.com. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- "Regulations of the UEFA Nations League, 2020/21" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 October 2019. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- "Amendments to football's Laws of the Game in various UEFA competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- "Five substitutions allowed at UEFA EURO 2020 and 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals". UEFA. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- "Temporary amendment to Law 3" (PDF). International Football Association Board. Zürich. 8 May 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- "IFAB approves trials with additional concussion substitutes". International Football Association Board. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
- "Who is in the Nations League finals?". UEFA. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- "Resolution of the European football family on a coordinated response to the impact of the COVID-19 on competitions". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- "UEFA Executive Committee agenda for December meeting". UEFA. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- "Tirana to host first UEFA Europa Conference League Final". UEFA. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- UEFA.com (3 December 2020). "Nations League finals host confirmed: Milan and Turin to stage 2021 games". UEFA.com. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
- "Milan and Turin candidates to host UEFA Nations League finals". Italian Football Federation. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- "Nederland kandidaat voor organisatie Nations League Finals 2021" [The Netherlands candidate for organiser of the 2021 Nations League Finals]. Royal Dutch Football Association (in Dutch). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- "Polska walczy z rywalami z grupy o organizację final four Ligi Narodów" [Poland is fighting with rivals from the group to organise the final four of the Nations League]. TVN24 (in Polish). 24 September 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- "Nations League finals host confirmed: Milan and Turin to stage 2021 games". UEFA. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- "UEFA Nations League finals draw". UEFA. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- "UEFA Nations League finals draw". UEFA. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- "2021 UEFA Nations League Finals Press Kit" (PDF). UEFA. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
- "Nations League finals draw: Italy vs Spain, Belgium vs France". UEFA. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- "UEFA Nations League 2020/21: Finals draw procedure" (PDF). UEFA. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- "Full Time Report – Semi-finals – Italy v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- "Tactical Line-ups – Semi-finals – Italy v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- "Italy 1–2 Spain: Ferran Torres double ends Azzurri run". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
- "Full Time Report – Semi-finals – Belgium v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- "Tactical Line-ups – Semi-finals – Belgium v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- "Belgium 2–3 France: Theo Hernández completes stunning comeback". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 7 October 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
- "Full Time Report – Third-place match – Italy v Belgium" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- "Tactical Line-ups – Third-place match – Italy v Belgium" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- "Italy 2–1 Belgium: Azzurri secure third place at Nations League finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- "Full Time Report – Final – Spain v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- "Tactical Line-ups – Final – Spain v France" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- "Spain 1–2 France: Les Bleus seal trophy with another comeback". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- "English ref Anthony Taylor and his team to take charge of Spain v France in Milan". The Football Association. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- "Sergio Busquets named 2021 UEFA Nations League Player of the Finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- "Alipay Top Scorer trophy unveiled for UEFA Nations League". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- "UEFA Nations League finals top scorer: Kylian Mbappé". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- "Alipay Top Scorer". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- "Goal of the Tournament". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 13 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- "Top Goals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
- "UEFA Nations League 2021: Booking List before Third-place match and Final" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 8 October 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
