Nations League football is a relatively new tournament organized by UEFA, the governing body for European football. It was introduced in 2018 as a way to provide more competitive playing opportunities for national teams within Europe. The tournament is divided into four leagues (A, B, C, and D) based on the national teams’ UEFA rankings. Each league is further divided into groups, with promotion and relegation between leagues based on each team’s performance.
The Nations League is played in a round-robin format, with each team playing home and away matches against the other teams in their group. The winner of each group in League A advances to a four-team playoff, where they compete for the Nations League title. The tournament also serves as a qualifying route for the European Championships, with the top teams in each group earning a spot in the competition.
One of the unique aspects of the Nations League is the concept of promotion and relegation between leagues. The teams that finish at the bottom of their group in League A are relegated to League B for the next edition of the tournament, while the group winners in League B are promoted to League A. This system ensures that teams are constantly facing opponents of a similar skill level, leading to more competitive and exciting matches.