In the inaugural Women’s Nations League tournament later this year, the Lionesses will face Scotland; Belgium and the Netherlands make up the rest of Association A Gathering A1, which begins in September. The inaugural Women’s Nations League features England and Scotland. At the 2019 World Cup in France, the two teams played each other. Claire Emslie scored for Scotland and Nikita Parris and Ellen White scored for England to win 2-1. Belgium and the Netherlands will go along with them in Gathering A1 of the competition, which begins in the not-so-distant future. Wales was included in Group A3 alongside Iceland, Germany, and Denmark.
England grouped with Scotland, Republic and Northern Ireland
The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland will face off in Group B1, which also includes Hungary and Albania. The tournament, which will begin later this year, is made up of the four teams in League A Group A1. The finals to determine promotion and relegation are scheduled for February 2024, and all group games will take place between September and December. The 51 nations competing will be divided into two 16-team leagues and one 19-team league, following the men’s Nations League format. The four winners of League A will advance to the finals, which will also serve as European Olympic qualifiers for 2024. Prior to the start of the qualifying matches for the 2025 European Championship, there will also be promotion and relegation among the leagues. The finals for each of the three leagues will be held in February 2024, with games taking place in September, October, and November.
1. Group A1
- England
- Netherlands
- Belgium
- Scotland
2. Group A3
- Germany
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Wales
3. Group B1
- Republic of Ireland
- Northern Ireland
- Hungary
- Albania
2023/24 UEFA Women’s Nations League dates
- League phase: Matchday 1 – September 20-22, 2023
- League phase: Matchday 2 – September 23-26, 2023
- League phase: Matchday 3 – October 25-27, 2023
- League phase: Matchday 4 – October 28-31, 2023
- League phase: Matchday 5 – November 29 – December 1, 2023
- League phase: Matchday 6 – December 2-5, 2023
- Finals: Semi-finals TBC, 2024
- Finals: Third-place play-off TBC, 2024
- Finals: Final TBC, 2024
- Promotion and relegation – first leg TBC, 2024
- Promotion and relegation – second leg TBC, 2024
How does the UEFA Women’s Nations League operate in 2023/24?
Each member association of the UEFA Women’s Nations League is divided into three leagues (A-C) at the start of the competition based on their ranking. League A is made up of the top 16 teams, while Leagues B and C are made up of the rest. In these leagues, teams play each other at home and away in smaller groups of three or four. Teams’ next steps will be determined by where they stand at the end of the league stage. The victors of the Association A gatherings will go to the finals, comprising of two single-leg semi-finals, a third spot season finisher and a general last.
The remaining teams’ chances of being promoted or relegated between tiers will be determined by their standings. If you thought that was complicated, there is one more round of playoffs between the teams that finish third in the groups in League A and the teams that finish second in League B. The teams will compete in a two-legged tie with the winner earning a spot in League A. Similarly to the above, with the exception of the third-place League B team that is automatically relegated, the remaining third-place teams in League B face the second-place teams in League C to compete for a spot in League B.