How Nations League promotion, relegation and the Finals are decided

The top two in each League A group go to the quarter-finals, and the four teams who win those ties play the Finals in June. Further down, the League B and C group winners are promoted, the two lowest-ranked fourth-placed teams in League A are relegated, and a new round of play-offs decides the places in between. The last two matchdays, from 12 to 17 November, settle most of it. This edition is unusual, because UEFA rewrote its promotion and relegation rules in September so that the next one, in 2028/29, can be played in three leagues of 18 teams instead of four. What follows is based on the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League regulations as amended on 15 September 2026, Articles 12 to 19, and UEFA's circular to its member associations of 18 September.

What do the November matchdays decide?

The league phase is a home and away round-robin in every group, three points for a win and one for a draw (Article 14). Matchday 5 runs from 12 to 14 November and matchday 6 from 15 to 17 November. After that, every group's final table is fixed, and UEFA draws up an interim overall ranking of all 54 teams from those tables (Article 19.02). That ranking decides who goes into which play-off and which League A teams stay up or go straight down.

Then come one draw and two windows. The draw for the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the play-offs is on 20 November in Nyon. The quarter-finals and both sets of play-offs are played on 25 and 27 March 2027 (first legs) and 28 and 30 March (second legs). The Finals are on 9 and 10 June (semi-finals) and 13 June (final and third-place match).

Who reaches the quarter-finals and the Finals?

The four League A group winners and the four runners-up (Article 17.01). In the draw the group winners are seeded, and each is drawn against a runner-up from a different group. The runner-up plays the first leg at home, so the group winner plays the second leg at home (Article 17.03). That is what first place is worth over second.

A tie level on aggregate after two legs goes to two 15-minute periods of extra time at the end of the second leg, then to penalties; there is no away-goals rule (Articles 17.03 and 18.01).

The four quarter-final winners go to the Finals: single-leg semi-finals, a third-place match and a final, at stadiums designated by UEFA's Executive Committee (Article 17.04). The semi-final pairings are also drawn. UEFA's circular says the Executive Committee will choose the venue on 7 December 2026. A semi-final or final level after 90 minutes goes to extra time and then penalties, and a level third-place match goes straight to penalties (Articles 18.02 and 18.03).

What happens to the rest of League A?

This is where the September changes bite. The four third-placed teams and the four fourth-placed teams are ranked against each other in the interim ranking, and the order matters:

• The two best third-placed teams (9th and 10th) stay in League A.
• The other two third-placed teams (11th and 12th) and the two best fourth-placed teams (13th and 14th) go into the League A/B play-offs.
• The two worst fourth-placed teams (15th and 16th) are relegated to League B (Article 19.03).

Before the change, every fourth-placed team in League A went down and every third-placed team went into a play-off.

Who goes up and down between Leagues B and C?

The four League B group winners are promoted to League A. The four League B runners-up play the four League A teams above in the League A/B play-offs (Article 16.01): two legs, the League B side at home first, the winner over two legs playing in League A next time and the loser in League B (Articles 16.04 and 19.03).

Nobody is relegated from League B automatically. Its four fourth-placed teams play the four League C runners-up in the League B/C play-offs, on the same model. The four League C group winners go straight up to League B. League B's third-placed teams stay where they are.

What about Leagues C and D?

There are no League C/D play-offs this time, and nobody goes down from League C: its third-placed and fourth-placed teams all stay in League C. All six League D teams move up into League C, the circular says. With League D gone, the bottom league next time is League C.

Why did UEFA change the rules in September?

Because the competition shrinks to three leagues from 2028/29. UEFA validated a new concept for its men's national-team competitions on 20 May, and its Executive Committee adjusted the 2026/27 promotion and relegation system on 15 September to ensure the transition, UEFA's circular says. The final overall ranking after March decides the new leagues (Article 19.06): places 1 to 18 make up League A, 19 to 36 League B, and the rest League C.

2028/29 league	Who goes there from 2026/27
League A (18)	the eight quarter-finalists; the two best third-placed teams of League A; the four League B group winners; the four winners of the League A/B play-offs
League B (18)	the two worst fourth-placed teams of League A; the four losers of the League A/B play-offs; the four third-placed teams of League B; the four League C group winners; the four winners of the League B/C play-offs
League C (18)	the four losers of the League B/C play-offs; the eight teams placed third and fourth in League C; the six League D teams

How are teams ranked when they finish level?

Inside a group, teams level on points are separated by the matches between them: points, then goal difference, then goals scored. If some are still level, those three steps are run again on the matches between those teams alone, and only then does the whole group come in: goal difference, goals scored, away goals, wins, away wins, then disciplinary points (one for a yellow card, three for a red), and finally the access list (Article 15.01).

Across groups, teams in the same position are compared by points, goal difference, goals scored, away goals, wins and away wins, then disciplinary points, then the access list (Article 19.01). That is the comparison that splits League A's third-placed and fourth-placed teams. The article also leaves out results against fourth-placed teams when teams placed first to third are compared, but it introduces that as a rule for leagues whose groups differ in size, and every League A group has four teams, so the text leaves open whether it applies there.

In numbers

• 104 league-phase matches played so far, with 256 goals, 2.46 a match. 28 were drawn and 37 won by the away side.
• 2 teams are already sure of a quarter-final: Spain and Portugal, on twelve points from four matches, cannot finish below second.
• 10 points for France, the most in League A after those two; Italy have seven and Belgium six, and Italy host France on 12 November.
• 0 points for three of League A's four bottom sides, Türkiye, Serbia and Czechia; Norway have three, level with Wales above them.
• 12 points from twelve for Switzerland, the only League B team with four wins; Slovenia, second, have seven.

The tables and the November fixtures are on the Nations League page.

Sources: Regulations of the UEFA Nations League 2026/27, Articles 12–19, UEFA circular no. 58/2026, 18 September 2026, UEFA on the new promotion and relegation system.