Shocks, broadcast, Portugal and Spain qualified… Everything you need to know about the home stretch of the League of Nations

What are the shocks to come?

Apart from Italy-France this Thursday (8:45 p.m.), other great matches will take place simultaneously: Czech Republic-Spain and England-Croatia. Germany will travel to Belgrade, Serbia on Friday. On Saturday, Portugal, for its first match since the international retirement of Cristiano Ronaldo, will host Denmark at the Braga municipal stadium.

The last day of the Nations League also holds great promises. On Sunday, Spain and England will engage in a gala duel in Madrid. On Monday, November 16, a tantalizing Germany-Netherlands will take place. A few matches will take place on Tuesday (Poland-Sweden, Wales-Portugal, etc.) to conclude this international break in Europe.

Where to watch the matches?

With the exception of the Blues which are broadcast on TF1, L'Équipe broadcasts the rest of the Nations League exclusively and in full. Several posters will be available to watch for free on the L’Équipe channel, such as England-Croatia (Thursday 12, 8:45 p.m.), Belgium-Italy (Sunday 15, 8:45 p.m.) or Germany-Netherlands (Monday 16, 8:45 p.m.).

The rest will be broadcast via the L’Équipe live foot platform and requires a subscription to the sports daily. Note that a multiplex will be shown on the L’Équipe channel on Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th, including teams such as Germany, Serbia, Ukraine and Portugal.

Which teams are close to the final phase?

The top two teams from the four groups in League A will qualify for the quarter-finals of the knockout stage. They will take place next March, in a round-trip format, before the Final Four in June. Two nations have already qualified for the quarter-finals: Portugal, defending champion, and world champion Spain.

In group 1, France (10 pts) would qualify in the event of a victory against Italy (7 pts) who will play big on Sunday against Belgium (6 pts). Turkey (0 pts) is already out of the race and risks relegation to League B. The suspense is total in group 2 with the Netherlands and Greece tied (8 pts) ahead of Germany (5 pts).

Behind Spain in group 3, it is England (9 pts) who are holding the lead ahead of Croatia (3 pts). Finally, Denmark (6 pts), Wales (3) and Norway (3) will fight to the end to follow the route of Portugal in group 4.

What about the lower leagues in all this?

Nothing is decided in League B, even if Switzerland (12 pts) is on track to be directly promoted to League A, without going through the play-offs. It could therefore face France during the next edition (2028-29). In League C, San Marino is the only team with zero points. However, it will not fall back into League D, that of the smallest nations, since the latter will be abolished in view of the next League of Nations.

What reform will affect the League of Nations?

In 2028, the Nations League will be organized with three leagues, each made up of three groups of six teams. Two things will not change: the hat system (to avoid the six best nations being all in the same group for example) and the number of matches (six) during the first phase.

To find out what is changing, let’s take the example of France. She would no longer face three teams in back-and-forth matches, but five teams, only one of which (the one in the same hat as her) in a back-and-forth match. The top two from each League A group, as well as the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage.

UEFA's objective is to have more balanced posters. The main difference will be felt among the more modest nations such as Malta, Andorra or Gibraltar. With League D being abolished, these small countries will have to face better-known opponents, potentially Finland, Iceland or North Macedonia.