Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses will have a chance to add a new trophy to their growing collection next year.
The UEFA Women's Nations League will begin it's inaugural season in 2023-24, bringing competitive league football to the international women's scene. The format will closely mirror the men's competition that was first introduced back in 2018.
The draw for the first women's tournament has just been made in Nyon, with England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic all involved. Let's take a look at the format and who the home nations will be facing when the league starts in the autumn.
What's the format and how will it work?
As with the men's game, the idea behind the UEFA Women's Nations League is to reduce the number of meaningless friendlies and try to ensure nations face opponents of similar quality. The tournament draw begins with each member association being divided into three leagues (A-C) based on their ranking.
The top 16 teams enter into League A with the rest being divided into Leagues B and C. Within these leagues, teams will play in smaller groups of three or four, playing each team home and away. Sides in League A will look to qualify for the tournament finals.
The four group winners from League A will compete in semi-finals (one leg only) and then a final with the winner being crowned the first ever Nations League champion. Meanwhile nations in the lower Leagues will be looking to win promotion and avoid relegation.
51 teams will participate in total. League A and B will have four pots with four teams, while C will have three pots with five teams and two with four. Teams play each other twice, home and away, to determine the final standings.
Intriguingly, the Women’s Nations League final will also determine which European nations qualify for the women's football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The two sides who reach the finals will qualify for the Games, although this excludes France who are already guaranteed a place as hosts.
When do the matches take place?
The league matches will take place on six days spread across three international breaks in September, October and November/December 2023. The Euro 2025 qualifiers that follow on then take place in spring 2024.
The opening matchday will take place only a month after the 2023 Women's World Cup finishes in August.
The date for the first ever finals is yet to be announced, but it will take place during the summer of 2024.
Who are the home nations drawn against?
England were drawn in League A1 alongside Netherlands, Scotland and Belgium. This means Sarina Wiegman will face off against the country of her birth and the side she led to the 2017 UEFA Women's Euros title, in a competitive fixture for the first time.
It also means the first meeting between England and Scotland since the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, where the Lionesses won 2-1. Wales were drawn in Group A3, meaning they will face Germany, Iceland and Denmark.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland will meet in a local derby, after they were both drawn in League B1, joining Hungary and Albania. Here is the draw in full.
League A:
Group A1: England, Netherlands, Belgium, Scotland
Group A2: France, Norway, Austria, Portugal
Group A3: Germany, Denmark, Iceland, Wales
Group A4: Sweden, Spain, Italy, Switzerland
League B:
Group B1: Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Hungary, Albania
Group B2: Finland, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia
Group B3: Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Greece
Group B4: Czechia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus
League C:
Group C1: Malta, Moldova, Latvia, Andorra
Group C2: Turkey, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Georgia
Group C3: Azerbaijan, Montenegro, Cyprus, Faroe Islands
Group C4: Israel, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Armenia
Group C5: North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bulgaria
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