UEFA Confirm Fixtures for 2020/21 Nations League
By Tom Gott
The 2020/21 UEFA Nations League group stage will get underway on 3 September, with Germany's clash with Spain set to steal the show on the opening night.
This next iteration of the competition will be slightly different to the first, with the 55 teams split up into four leagues. Three of those leagues are then further divided into four groups, while the final league will be smaller and divided into two.
⚽ If you need a reminder of how the 2020/21 UEFA #NationsLeague format works, we have you covered! pic.twitter.com/00hqEHSST1
— UEFA (@UEFA) June 26, 2020
The draw for the group stage fixtures took place on Friday and UEFA took to their official website to confirm the schedule for the coming months.
Matchday one will see Germany and Spain butt heads at the same time as the Republic of Ireland's trip to Bulgaria and Wales' meeting with Finland, but fans of Scotland and Northern Ireland will have to wait one day more before seeing their sides in action against Israel and Romania respectively.
As for England, their first fixture will come on 5 September when Gareth Southgate's Three Lions will travel to face Iceland in the hope of avenging their embarrassing defeat at Euro 2016.
In Group A2, England's second opponent will be Denmark on 8 September, before Belgium make the trip to Wembley Stadium on 11 October. Those teams in League A will be able to compete for the title, with the winners of each four groups booking a place in the semi-final.
Scotland find themselves drawn in Group B2, in which they will clash with Israel (4 September), Czech Republic (7 September) and Slovakia (11 October) in the first round of fixtures.
Group B1 will feature Northern Ireland, Romania, Norway and Austria, while B4 features the Republic of Ireland, Wales, Finland and Bulgaria.
Our UEFA #NationsLeague fixtures:
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) June 26, 2020
Israel (H) – Friday, 4 Sept, 7.45pm
Czech Republic (A) – Monday, 7 Sept, 7.45pm
Slovakia (H) – Sunday, 11 Oct, 7.45pm
Czech Republic (H) – Wednesday, 14 Oct, 7.45pm
Slovakia (A) – Sunday, 15 Nov, 2pm
Israel (A) – Wednesday, 18 Nov, 7.45pm pic.twitter.com/Y9AEth5xOs
For Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, being in League B means they will not be able to compete for the trophy, but instead they will battle for promotion to League A. Group winners from League B, C and D will all earn a spot in the top tier.
The group stage will come to an end on 18 November, after which the successful teams will advance to the knockout stages.