What can A-list Scotland expect from next Nations League?
- Published
Scotland topped a Nations League group including Ukraine and Republic of Ireland in 2022
The Nations League is back for a fourth edition later this year and Scotland are at the top table this time.
The tournament, devised to minimise meaningless friendlies, has been enjoyed by the Tartan Army, with a rapid rise through the ranks.
It kicked off in 2018 with Scotland in the third-tier C division. There have been two stints at B level and now we're an A team.
The next set of games will be played in the autumn after the summer fun of Euro 2024, so what can we look forward to?
When is the draw and who can we get?
The draw is made in Paris on Thursday, 8 February at 17:00 GMT and here's the A-list, with newbies Scotland in the lowest pot of seeds.
Pot 1: Spain, Croatia, Italy, Netherlands
Pot 2: Denmark, Portugal, Belgium, Hungary
Pot 3: Switzerland, Germany, Poland, France
Pot 4: Israel, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Scotland
The top seeds are the semi-finalists from last year, with Spain the reigning champions.
Notice anyone missing? That's right, while Scotland were promoted, England were relegated, along with Wales.
So, do you fancy Netherlands, Portugal and France or does Croatia, Denmark and Poland sound a bit easier?
A few changes to the format
Uefa has been tinkering with the tournament but all teams finishing bottom of their group will still be demoted.
If Steve Clarke's side come third, there are new play-offs with a runner-up from the B set-up.
In another fresh development, the teams in first and second go into home-and-away quarter-finals to settle the final four.
The host nation for the finals will be selected from the quartet left standing.
Improbable World Cup safety net?
The Nations League continues to provide a second chance for reaching major finals.
You'll remember Scotland were beneficiaries with a back-door pass to Euro 2020, via two nerve-shredding penalty shootouts, when we were all trying to work out what the competition was for.
In a World Cup cycle, the spoils are not so easy to come by, but the four best-ranked group winners from the Nations League who are not qualifying group winners or runners-up will get a crack at the play-offs for the big party across the pond in 2026.
Note that's group winners. That would mean topping a section with three of Europe's big boys then messing up the World Cup path, so let's not even go there...
Tournament dates
Nations League draw: 8 February 2024
Matchday 1: 5-7 September 2024
Matchday 2: 8-10 September 2024
Matchday 3: 10-12 October 2024
Matchday 4: 13-15 October 2024
Matchday 5: 14-16 November 2024
Matchday 6: 17-19 November 2024
Knockout round play-off draw: November 2024
Knockout round play-offs: 20-25 March 2025
League A quarter-finals: 20-25 March 2025
Final tournament: 4-8 June 2025