November 22 – Following the Nations League draw on Friday, the competition will serve up some block-bluster quarter-finals with Spain taking on the Netherlands and Italy meeting Germany.
In the third quarter-final, Croatia play France in a rematch of the 2018 World Cup final and the winner will take on the Netherlands or Spain. In the last quarter-final, Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo take on Denmark with the victor meeting the Netherlands or Italy in the semi-finals.
It’s the first time that the competition has held a quarter-final stage. In the last edition, Spain triumphed, defeating Croatia on penalties in the final of the final four in the Netherlands. The matches will be played March 20-25 next year.
UEFA introduced the Nations League to replace friendlies, but the recent international window suggested interest from top players in the competition is on the wane with stars across Europe pulling out from playing for their nations.
The draws were also made for the promotion and relegation playoffs between the leagues. In the A-league playoffs, Belgium take on Ukraine in a repeat of their Euro 2024 meeting, Turkey encounter Hungary, Austria meet Serbia and Greece play Scotland.
The League B/C playoffs will see Kosovo – Iceland, Bulgaria – Republic of Ireland, Armenia – Georgia and Slovakia – Slovenia. In the League C/D playoffs, Gibraltar will face Latvia and Malta will compete with Luxembourg.
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