The draw for the fifth edition of the Nations League takes place on Thursday 12th February 2026. Here is all the information that you need to know!
What is the Nations League?
The UEFA Nations League was designed to minimise meaningless friendlies and give nations competitive encounters with equally ranked teams.
UEFA national teams will be divided into four leagues, with Leagues A, B, and C featuring sixteen teams each, divided into four groups of four teams, while League D features six teams divided into two groups of three.
The teams will be allocated to leagues based on the 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League final overall ranking. Each team will play six matches within their group, except for teams in League D which will play four, using the home-and-away format on matchdays from September 2026 to November 2026.
Where will the draw be held?
The draw will be held in Brussels at 5pm (GMT) on Thursday 12th February 2026.
Where can I watch?
The draw will be screened live on the UEFA website.
Which League are Ireland in?
Ireland is in League B.
How many games will Ireland play?
Ireland will play six matches in their group, one home and one away against the other three nations in the group.
Who can Ireland draw?
The League B draw will determine four groups of four teams. The pots are as follows (Ireland are in Pot 3):
Pot 1: Scotland, Hungary, Poland, Israel.
Pot 2: Switzerland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austria, Ukraine
Pot 3: Slovenia, Georgia, Republic of Ireland, Romania.
Pot 4: Sweden, North Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Kosovo.
What is special about the 2026/2027 Nations League?
The league phase will start with a prolonged international window from 24 September 2026 to 6 October 2026, during which teams will generally play four UEFA Nations League matches in close succession.
The 2026/27 UEFA Nations League is expected to be linked to qualification for UEFA Euro 2028 in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Based on their UEFA Nations League results, some teams will be given a second chance to enter the play-offs for the final tournament.
Promotion/Relegation
The fourth-placed teams in Leagues A and B are automatically relegated to League B and C, respectively. The two lowest ranked fourth-placed teams in League C, meanwhile, are relegated to League D.
The four group winners in Leagues B and C, as well as the two group winners in League D, are automatically promoted to Leagues A, B and C, respectively.
The third-ranked teams of League A and the runners-up of League B, as well as the third-ranked teams of League B and the runners-up of League C, will play a promotion/relegation play-off.
There will also be play-offs between the two best-ranked fourth placed teams from League C and the two runners-up from League D.
How will the UEFA Nations League knockout stage work?
Following the league phase which ends in November 2026, the best sides of League A will have the opportunity to qualify for the finals as winners of the quarter-final ties, which take place in March 2027. The finals will again be contested between four teams.
What are the dates for the 2026-2027 Nations League?
| Stage | Draw | Round | Dates |
| League phase | 12 February 2026 | Matchday 1 | 24–26 September 2026 |
| Matchday 2 | 27–29 September 2026 | ||
| Matchday 3 | 30 September – 1 October 2026 | ||
| Matchday 4 | 4–6 October 2026 | ||
| Matchday 5 | 12–14 November 2026 | ||
| Matchday 6 | 15–17 November 2026 | ||
| League A quarter-finals and League A/B and B/C play-offs | First leg | 25 March 2027 | |
| Second leg | 30 March 2027 | ||
| Finals | Semi-finals | 9–10 June 2027 | |
| Third place play-off | 13 June 2027 | ||
| Final | |||
| League C/D play-offs | First leg | 23 March 2028 | |
| Second leg | 28 March 2028 |