UEFA Nations League facts for kids
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| Organising body | UEFA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2018 |
| Region | Europe |
| Number of teams | 55 |
| Current champions |  Portugal (2nd title) |
| Most successful team(s) | Portugal (2 titles) |
The UEFA Nations League is a big football competition for men's national teams in Europe. It's organized by UEFA, which is in charge of European football. The main idea behind this competition was to have fewer friendly matches, which often aren't very exciting. Instead, teams get to play more important games against other teams that are similar in skill. All 55 European national teams take part in this league. Teams can move up to a higher league or down to a lower one based on how well they play.
The very first tournament started in September 2018. The four best teams from League A played in the finals in Portugal in June 2019. Portugal won that first competition by beating the Netherlands. In 2021, France won the trophy after beating Spain. Italy finished third. In the 2023 tournament, Spain won by beating Croatia in a penalty shootout. The current champions are Portugal, who won their second title in the 2025 final by defeating Spain.
Contents
Why was the Nations League created?
For a long time, people at UEFA talked about how national football teams needed more exciting games. They wanted to make international friendly matches more interesting and bring in more money. In 2001, UEFA thought about new competition ideas, but nothing happened right away.
In 2013, the head of the Norwegian Football Association said there were talks about a third big tournament for European teams. This would be in addition to the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship.
The idea was to put all of UEFA's national teams into different groups. These groups would be based on how well the teams had played recently. Teams would then move up or down between these groups depending on their results. This new tournament would use the dates that were usually set aside for friendly games. It would not affect the World Cup or the European Championship.
In 2014, UEFA's general secretary, Gianni Infantino, said that the new league would help smaller national teams get more games. The Royal Belgian Football Association also mentioned that even lower-ranked teams would earn more money from TV deals. All 54 UEFA member countries agreed to the UEFA Nations League on March 27, 2014.
How does the Nations League work?
Leagues and groups
When it first started, the 55 UEFA national teams were split into four leagues:
- League A (12 teams)
- League B (12 teams)
- League C (15 teams)
- League D (16 teams)
In each league, teams were put into smaller groups of three or four. They played each other twice, once at home and once away.
Changes since 2020
After the first season, UEFA changed the format a bit. Starting from the 2020–21 season, Leagues A, B, and C each have 16 teams. League D has 7 teams.
To make this change, some special rules were used after the 2018–19 season. No teams were sent down from League A or League B. More teams were moved up from League C and League D than usual. This change was made because all UEFA countries wanted even fewer friendly matches. It also meant more exciting games, which increased the value of the competition.
Finals and team movement
In League A, which is the top league, the winners of the four groups play in the Nations League Finals. This involves two semi-final matches, a game for third and fourth place, and then the final match to decide the champion.
Starting from the 2024–25 season, things changed for League A. The winners and second-place teams from each group in League A now go to a new quarter-final round. These are two-legged matches, meaning teams play each other home and away. The four winners of these quarter-finals then move on to the Nations League Finals, just like before.
Teams can also move between leagues. This is called promotion (moving up) and relegation (moving down).
- Since 2020–21, the team that wins its group in Leagues B, C, or D automatically moves up to the next higher league.
- The team that finishes last in its group in Leagues A and B automatically moves down to the next lower league.
- For League C, the two worst-ranked teams are now automatically moved down to League D.
- Also, starting in 2024–25, there are special play-off matches for promotion and relegation. For example, a team that finishes third in League A might play against a team that finished second in League B. The winner goes to the higher league, and the loser goes to the lower league. If scores are tied after regular time, extra time is played. If it's still tied, a penalty shootout decides the winner.
How it links to the European Championship
The UEFA Nations League is connected to qualifying for the UEFA European Championship (often called the Euros). It gives teams another way to qualify for this big tournament.
In the past, there were play-offs for each league (A, B, C, and D). Each group winner got a spot in these play-offs. If a group winner had already qualified for the Euros, their play-off spot would go to another team. This helped decide the last four teams that would play in the European Championship.
However, for the UEFA Euro 2024 and future tournaments, League D no longer has its own play-off path. Instead, if Leagues A, B, or C don't have enough teams for their play-offs, the best-ranked group winner from League D can get a spot.
How it links to the FIFA World Cup
The Nations League also has a smaller link to qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. For the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the top teams from the Nations League who didn't qualify directly for the World Cup could get a second chance in the play-offs. These play-offs decided three more teams for the World Cup.
For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the link is similar. The twelve teams that finish second in their World Cup qualifying groups will go to play-offs. Also, the four best-ranked Nations League group winners who didn't already qualify for the World Cup will join them. These teams will play in single-leg semi-finals and finals to decide the last four European teams to qualify for the World Cup.
There were talks about teams from South America joining the UEFA Nations League, but this plan was not put into action.
The Trophy
The UEFA Nations League trophy was shown for the first time in Switzerland. It is made of sterling silver and represents all 55 UEFA national teams. The trophy weighs 7.5 kilograms and is 71 centimeters tall.
The Anthem
The official song of the UEFA Nations League was recorded with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir. They sing in Latin. The music is a mix of classical and electronic styles. It is played when players walk onto the field, in TV shows, and during special ceremonies.
Seasons
Each season of the UEFA Nations League usually runs over two years. The group games are played from September to November in the first year. The knockout games (like quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals) are played in March and June of the second year. This means a new UEFA Nations League champion is crowned every two years. The 2022–23 season was a bit different because of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Finals results
- Keys
- aet: result after extra time
- p: match won after penalty shoot-out
| Season | Finals host | Final | Third place play-off | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winners | Score | Runners-up | Third | Score | Fourth | ||
| 2018–19 Finals |
 Portugal |
 Portugal |
1–0 |  Netherlands |
 England |
0–0 (aet) (6–5 p) |
 Switzerland |
| 2020–21 Finals |
 Italy |
 France |
2–1 |  Spain |
 Italy |
2–1 |  Belgium |
| 2022–23 Finals |
 Netherlands |
Spain |
0–0 (aet) (5–4 p) |
 Croatia |
Italy |
3–2 | Netherlands |
| 2024–25 Finals |
 Germany |
Portugal |
2–2 (aet) (5–3 p) |
Spain |
France |
2–0 |  Germany |
| 2026–27 Finals |
 TBD |
TBD | TBD | ||||
Top teams in the finals
- Keys
- * denotes host of final tournament
| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Fourth place | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal |
2 (2019*, 2025) | 2 | |||
 Spain |
1 (2023) | 2 (2021, 2025) | 3 | ||
 France |
1 (2021) | 1 (2025) | 2 | ||
 Netherlands |
1 (2019) | 1 (2023*) | 2 | ||
 Croatia |
1 (2023) | 1 | |||
 Italy |
2 (2021*, 2023) | 2 | |||
 England |
1 (2019) | 1 | |||
 Switzerland |
1 (2019) | 1 | |||
 Belgium |
1 (2021) | 1 | |||
 Germany |
1 (2025*) | 1 |
Player records
Top Goalscorers All-Time
| Rank | Player | Goals | Tournaments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Erling Haaland |
19 | 3 (2021, 2023, 2025) |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
15 | 4 (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025) |
 Aleksandar Mitrović |
15 | 4 (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025) | |
| 4 | Romelu Lukaku |
10 | 4 (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025) |
 Vedat Muriqi |
10 | 4 (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025) | |
 Viktor Gyökeres |
10 | 2 (2023, 2025) | |
| 7 |  Edin Džeko |
9 | 4 (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025) |
 Christian Eriksen |
9 | 4 (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025) | |
 Danel Sinani |
9 | 4 (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025) | |
| Kylian Mbappé |
9 | 4 (2019, 2021, 2023, 2025) |
Youngest and oldest players
- Youngest player to appear: Patrik Kristal (Estonia), who played at 16 years, 9 months, and 27 days old on September 8, 2024.
- Youngest player to appear in a final: Gavi (Spain), who played at 17 years, 2 months, and 5 days old on October 10, 2021.
- Oldest player to appear: Lee Casciaro (Gibraltar), who played at 43 years, 14 days old on October 13, 2024.
Youngest and oldest goalscorers
- Youngest goalscorer: Konstantinos Karetsas (Greece), who scored at 17 years, 4 months, and 4 days old on March 23, 2025.
- Youngest goalscorer in a final: Gonçalo Guedes (Portugal), who scored at 22 years, 6 months, and 11 days old on June 9, 2019.
- Oldest goalscorer: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), who scored at 40 years, 4 months, and 3 days old on June 8, 2025.
Youngest and oldest winners
- Youngest player to win: Gavi (Spain), who won at 18 years, 1 month, and 13 days old in 2023.
- Oldest player to win: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), who won at 40 years, 4 months, and 3 days old in 2025.
What people think about the Nations League
Support for the league
UEFA created this tournament to get rid of international friendly games. Many football clubs and fans liked this idea. Friendly matches often stopped the regular football season and weren't very competitive. The Nations League gives teams more important games. It also gives countries that don't usually qualify for big tournaments a second chance.
UEFA said that fans know most friendly games aren't exciting. Now, they can watch their teams play in more competitive matches and have another chance to qualify for major tournaments. There are fewer friendly games now, but there's still time for warm-up matches before big tournaments.
Criticism of the league
Some people have criticized the format because it allows weaker teams to qualify for the European Championship through the Nations League, instead of through the usual qualification process. However, once the tournament started in 2018, many praised it for having "very high-level matches" and good attendance.
In 2022, some famous footballers like Kevin De Bruyne and Virgil van Dijk said the Nations League was "unimportant." They felt it just made some friendly games seem more important and worried about players getting injured because of the busy schedule. Coaches like Jürgen Klopp also called it "ridiculous." Luka Modrić from Croatia also criticized UEFA for making players play Nations League games so soon after the end of the regular season.
Influence on other competitions
After the UEFA Nations League became successful, CONCACAF (the football body for North and Central America) created a similar competition called the CONCACAF Nations League. The first one was played in 2018. The AFC also started planning a similar competition, but it was delayed.
Awards
Awards like "Player of the Tournament" and "Goal of the Tournament" are given to players who perform well in the UEFA Nations League Finals.
| Year | Best Player | Best Goal | Highest goalscorer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Bernardo Silva |
Cristiano Ronaldo |
Aleksandar Mitrović |
|
| 2021 | Sergio Busquets |
Karim Benzema |
Romelu Lukaku Erling Haaland Ferran Torres |
|
| 2023 | Rodri |
Bruno Petković |
Erling Haaland Aleksandar Mitrović |
|
| 2025 | Nuno Mendes |
Rayan Cherki |
Viktor Gyökeres |
See also
In Spanish: Liga de Naciones de la UEFA para niños
- CONCACAF Nations League
- UEFA Women's Nations League
