The Nations League is back this week, moving into the play-off and knockout rounds.

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The group stage of the revamped tournament ended in November, and now eight teams are left in the main competition, battling for the title.

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Meanwhile, the play-offs will decide which teams move up or down in their groups.

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Not sure how it works? Here’s a simple breakdown:

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Nations League Quarter-Finals

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In League A, which is the highest level of the tournament, the top two teams from each of the four groups advanced to the quarter-finals.

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These eight teams were paired up for two-legged matches, meaning each team will play home and away. The team listed first in the draw will host the first match.

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The draw is as follows:

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Netherlands v SpainCroatia v FranceItaly v GermanyDenmark v Portugal

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What about the home nations & Republic of Ireland?

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England and Northern Ireland finished as group winners, earning them promotion to Group A and Group B respectively.

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The Three Lions secured automatic promotion to League A after winning their group and are therefore not involved in the next round of the Nations League.

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The same applies to Wales, who reached the top tier of the competition in November.

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Scotland are the only home nation remaining in the tournament, while the Republic of Ireland are also in the play-offs.

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The promotion/relegation play-off drawThe play-offs will take place at the same time as the quarter-finals.

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In these matches, the teams that finished third in League A will play two-legged games against the teams that finished second in League B. The winners will secure a spot in League A.

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Similarly, third-placed teams in League B will face second-placed teams from League C, with the winners moving up to League B.

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Lastly, the two lowest-ranked teams in League C with the best records will compete against the runners-up from League D for a chance to stay in League C.

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Georgia v ArmeniaSlovenia v SlovakiaIceland v KosovoRepublic of Ireland v BulgariaSerbia v AustriaScotland v GreeceHungary v TurkeyBelgium v Ukraine

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When is it?

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The first matches of both the play-offs and quarter-finals will be held on March 20, with the second legs taking place on March 23.

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The winners of the quarter-finals will move on to the semi-finals, which will be single matches played on June 4 and 5, 2025.

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Four teams will have a chance to qualify for the World Cup through the Nations League. These will be the four highest-ranked group winners who do not finish in the top two of their World Cup qualifying group next year.

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Since most of the top teams in League A and many in League B are expected to qualify directly for the World Cup, this system provides an extra opportunity for teams in Leagues B and C.

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England, by winning Group B2, is almost guaranteed a World Cup play-off spot, and Wales, who won Group B4, is in a similar position. Northern Ireland, as leaders of Group C3, has a chance, but Scotland is unlikely to qualify through the Nations League route.

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The four Nations League play-off teams will join 12 teams that finish second in their World Cup qualifying groups. Together, they will compete for four spots in the 2026 World Cup.

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The seedings for the World Cup qualifiers will mostly be based on FIFA’s world rankings, not Nations League results. However, the highest-ranked teams will be chosen from those that finish in the top two of each League A group, along with the four best-ranked countries.

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England, ranked fourth in the world and third in Europe, is almost certain to be among the top seeds, even though they were not in League A.

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