By now we’ve all (mostly) accepted that football is not coming home for England following the World Cup in Russia.
If you could bear to watch the final, you will know that France ended up taking the title, beating Croatia 4 – 2.
But don’t put those England flags away just yet – because there’s another international tournament coming up featuring our national squad very soon.
The UEFA Nations League is a brand new tournament that will see all 55 member countries compete between September and November 2018.
So what do you need to know about it – and more importantly, what does it mean for the England national team?
Here is everything you need to know including what the tournament is, how the teams have been split and when the first match is.
What is the UEFA Nations League?
The UEFA Nations League is a new tournament that has largely been created to replace “meaningless” international friendly matches.
UEFA set up the tournament following criticism that friendlies in their current form lack adequate competition.
New grouping means that lower-ranking teams who struggle against sides ranked much higher than them will now get the chance to take part in more balanced matches.
The tournament also acts as a clear buffer between the end of the UEFA EURO and FIFA World Cup.
There’s a brand new trophy up for grabs
(Image: EPA-EFE/ REX/Shutterstock)
A statement posted on the UEFA website reads: “National associations and coaches, in consultations with UEFA, revealed that they feel that friendly internationals are not providing adequate sporting competition.
“The UEFA Nations League creates more meaningful and competitive matches for teams and a dedicated calendar and structure for national team football.”
It also offers an extra way to qualify for EUFA EURO final tournaments: “Top teams can also aspire to take part in the UEFA Nations League finals, a new top-level event.
“For middle-ranking and smaller nations, the UEFA Nations League will offer an extra way to qualify for UEFA EURO final tournaments.
“Lower-tier countries – the bottom 16 in the rankings – are now guaranteed one of the 24 qualifying slots for UEFA EURO.”
How have the teams been split?
The 55 UEFA member countries from across Europe have been split into four leagues.
This is based on their UEFA ranking at the end of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
Each league has then been split into four groups, deciding which teams will play each other in the group stages.
A draw in January decided the groups for each league as follows:
England were drawn into Group Four of League A
(Image: REUTERS)
League A
Group One: Netherlands, France, Germany
Group Two: Iceland, Switzerland, Belgium
Group Three: Poland, Italy, Portugal
Group Four: Croatia, England, Spain
League B
Group One: Czech Republic, Ukraine, Slovakia
Group Two: Turkey, Sweden, Russia
Group Three: Northern Ireland, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Austria
Group Four: Denmark, Republic of Ireland, Wales
League C
Group One: Israel, Albania, Scotland
Group Two: Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary
Group Three: Cyprus, Bulgaria, Norway, Slovenia
Group Four: Lithuania, Montenegro, Serbia, Romania
League D
Group One: Andorra, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Georgia
Group Two: San Marino, Moldova, Luxembourg, Belarus
Group Three: Kosovo, Malta, Faroe Islands, Azerbaijan
Group Four: Gibraltar, Liechtenstein, Armenia, Macedonia
Where will matches take place?
As with traditional friendlies, Nations League matches will take place in stadiums across Europe.
Teams within each group will play each other twice – both at home and away.
England home matches will be played at Wembley Stadium in London.
What does it mean for England?
England could bag an early spot for Euro 2020
(Image: Mirror Online)
England have been placed in League A, which is the highest tier.
This means that in the group stages, the team will play Croatia and Spain both home and away.
If England make it through the group stages, they could end up playing other League A teams including Germany, Belgium, and World Cup 2018 winners, France.
The tournament is also an extra way to qualify for EURO 2020 ahead of the qualifiers in 2019.
Four teams from League A will qualify directly to Euro 2020 – so it’s a great chance for Gareth Southgate to take the team through to the competition.
When does it start?
The first matchday will take place on Thursday 6 September 2018.
Group stage matches will continue until late November.
The Final Four (or semi-finals, third place and final matches) will then take place in June 2019.
Group stage winners from Leagues A, B, C and D will go head to head to be named as Nations League champion.
When is England’s first game?
The first time you’ll get to see England play in the tournament will be on Saturday 8 September, when they play Spain.
It takes place at Wembley Stadium in London, with kick off at 19:45.
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